Peter Phillips kept his identity secret from fiancee Autumn Kelly when they first met.
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Peter, son of Princess Anne and eleventh in line to the throne, said he saw “no reason” to tell Autumn about his royal background when they met in Montreal, Canada, in 2003.
Canadian Autumn revealed she found out about his royal connection six weeks after they met while watching television coverage Peter’s cousin Prince William’s 21st birthday.
She told Hello! magazine: “Six weeks [after meeting], after talking on the phone every day, and making one weekend visit to see him, I was watching TV with my mum.
“It was a special for Prince William’s 21st birthday and suddenly there was a film clip and mention of Peter Phillips. ’Hey mum’ I said, ‘That guy looks a lot like Peter’. I ran upstairs, looked on the internet and shouted down, ‘This is him.’
“Peter and I were together all that time and I had no idea.”
Peter admitted that Autumn was “a little bit angry” when she found out because she was scared their relationship would become more complicated. The couple will marry on May 17, although William will not be there as he is going on holiday with girlfriend Kate Middleton.
