It seems just yesterday that Isla Phillips gained attention for her playful antics at royal gatherings alongside her older sibling, Savannah.

Now, as she turns 14, the younger daughter of Peter Phillips and his ex-wife Autumn is stepping into the spotlight as a promising figure among the next generation of royals.

Under the guidance of her parents and the firm influence of her grandmother, Princess Anne, Isla has grown up away from the public eye, relishing an active outdoor life at Gatcombe Park. Her days are filled with adventures with her Tindall cousins and attending equestrian events and horse races.

With impending bridesmaid responsibilities for Isla and 15-year-old Savannah at their father Peter Phillips’ upcoming wedding to Harriet Sperling, it’s likely the public will catch more glimpses of her in the near future.

As the eldest of the late Queen Elizabeth’s great-grandchildren, the sisters play a crucial role in the future dynamics of the Royal Family.

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams notes that the girls bring a refreshing perspective to the royal scene, representing a generation untouched by the controversies surrounding Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson’s ties to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Everyone from the late Queen to her children King Charles, Princess Anne and Prince Edwards, and some of her grandchildren, namely Prince William, Beatrice and Eugenie, have been drawn into the saga.

Amid calls for titles to be relinquished and statements to be made about who knew what about Andrew, the next generation down can hardly be tarnished by the misdeeds of their great-uncle.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Fitzwilliams said: ‘Little attention has so far been paid to Isla Phillips, yet, considering her antecedents, she is likely to make her mark on royal life.

‘Her generation should be free of the scandals that are currently causing problems for the thousand-year-old institution of monarchy.

‘It should be a breath of fresh air as the Royal Family moves with the times and each generation has something new to give in an environment which is constantly changing but always pressurised.

She’s maintained a low profile, but Isla Phillips will soon step into the spotlight, a royal expert has claimed (pictured with her mother, Autumn Phillips, in Oxfordshire in 2024)

‘Isla is Queen Elizabeth’s great-grandchild, the daughter of Peter and Autumn, who are divorced. Savannah, who is 15, is her sibling. The family have a healthy disregard for titles – with Princess Anne having sensibly decided that her children, Peter and Zara, would be better off without them. 

‘As titles usually pass through the male line, Peter and Zara were not automatically entitled to them, and so she did not inherit a rank from her father.

‘However, what Peter did pass down may well prove to be far more valuable than rank: the family’s love of equestrian activities.

‘Her grandmother, Princess Anne, and her aunt Zara are famous for their equestrian feats, and this has led to them being extremely popular.

‘Isla reportedly goes riding with Princess Anne on the Gatcombe Park estate most days.

‘She has also attended important equestrian events such as the Badminton and Gatcombe Horse Trials and the Blenheim International Horse Trials. It will be fascinating to see if she, too, specialises in equestrian activities.

‘Image is most important and she has a remarkable resemblance to her glamorous aunt Zara.’

Indeed, on New Year’s Day this year, royal fans caught a rare glimpse of Isla as she celebrated the start of 2026 at Cheltenham races.

Isla was dubbed her aunt Zara Tindall’s double by fans following her appearance at Cheltenham Racecourse on New Year’s Day

Pictured: Princess Anne, Isla and Peter Phillips at the 2016 Christmas Day church service at Sandringham

Pictures showed Isla huddled in a checkered scarf, her long blonde hair braided into plaits as she watched on from the stands with her family.

For many onlookers, it was like seeing double – with Isla the spitting image of her aunt Zara, 44.

Acknowledging the similarities between Isla and her aunt, and even a resemblance to her 75-year-old grandmother Anne, one royal fan commented: ‘Isla reminds me of a young Princess Anne. She also resembles her Aunt Zara’.

Another observer added: ‘Beautiful children, Isla looks like Auntie Zara!’

Fitzwilliams continued: ‘With her father Peter soon to marry Harriet Sperling, she is likely to be a bridesmaid, which will mean she becomes more widely known.’

Peter, who is 19th in line to the throne, revealed last year that he and his NHS nurse girlfriend are engaged.

The couple said in a statement at the time: ‘Mr Peter Phillips, the son of HRH The Princess Royal and Captain Mark Phillips and Ms Harriet Sperling, daughter of the late Mr Rupert Sanders and Mrs Mary Sanders of Gloucestershire, have today confirmed their official engagement.

‘Both families were informed jointly of the announcement and were delighted with the wonderful news of their engagement. Their Majesties The King and Queen, The Prince and Princess of Wales have been informed of the announcement. No date has been officially set for the wedding.’

Fitzwilliams concluded: ‘In future years, her grandmother, Princess Anne, who is considered the hardest working, no-nonsense member of the royal family, is likely to advise her.

‘This will serve her well in the years ahead as she carves out her own distinctive path as a non-working royal. This may, however, include charitable work and will most certainly involve a public profile in due course.’

Isla was born at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital on March 29 2012, weighing 7lbs 4oz. A statement released by the Palace at the time expressed how the entire Royal Family were ‘delighted’ by the arrival of a second great-grandchild for Elizabeth and Philip.

Given the adorable young royal was born during the Queen’s milestone Jubilee year, it seems somewhat unsurprising that her second name is Elizabeth – a fitting tribute to her beloved great-grandmother.

She is 21st in line to the throne and, as a result, has been able to enjoy being a member of the extended royal family without managing the pressures of royal duties.

Isla also does not have a royal title due to her grandmother, The Princess Royal’s decision to deny the late Queen’s request for her two children to be bestowed with an HRH title.

Isla and Savannah, living on Anne’s 700-acre Gatcombe Park Estate, are in close proximity to their Tindall cousins, and the two sisters are said to have developed a particularly close bond with Zara’s eldest daughter, Mia.

Indicative of their close bond, at the Cheltenham races, Isla and Mia were pictured sharing a laugh together in the stands, as the cousins observed the equestrian action on the first day of 2026.

The trio have also often been pictured causing a degree of mischief and mayhem to royal engagements. 

Savannah and Isla’s parents, Peter and Autumn, wed in 2008 in a fairytale ceremony at Windsor Castle after meeting five years earlier at the Montreal Grand Prix.

However, the couple separated in 2020 on amicable terms, declaring at the time that the decision to go their separate ways was ‘the best course of action for their two children and ongoing friendship’.