Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips talks about heartfelt last moments with his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth – admitting it’s still ‘quite emotional’ to look back on

Peter Phillips has opened up about the final moments he spent with his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, in Scotland. 

The royal, 46, who is the son of Princess Anne and her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips, said he was ‘lucky to be in Scotland before she passed’ on 8 September 2022.

In an interview with Sky News Australia, Peter reflected on the ‘few days’ they shared ‘as a family’, describing that time as ‘really nice’.

‘Looking back on it, it’s still quite emotional, that part was a proper family moment,’ he revealed.

‘And then obviously when she left Balmoral it became more of a public grieving.

‘In many ways we’d had our quiet moment with her, we’d said our goodbyes, so whilst it still wasn’t particularly easy, it was easier to be able to share the public’s grief for her.’

Peter, a businessman, described the late Queen as ‘remarkable in so many ways’. 

Highlighting that ‘she was a figurehead that had been part of everybody’s lives for as long as people could remember’, he also spoke from a personal perspective. 

‘Having her as a grandmother and a role model was unique’, he said.

Reflecting on the imprint that the monarch and the late Duke of Edinburgh left on all the members of the royal family, he credited his grandparents with teaching them how ‘to grow up and behave’. 

Peter implied that he shared a close relationship with his grandparents, explaining that the fact they were around for a significant part of his life has led to ‘a greater connection, a greater respect and a greater ability to be able to learn from them’.

He talked fondly of the time he and his cousins spent with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, sitting together and talking about their lives, adding that it was ‘fascinating because it was a different part of history’.

Moving on to King Charles III, Peter complimented his uncle on the way he had handled the transition, holding onto much of what his parents had put in place while also making his own mark. 

Peter credits his grandparents, the late Queen and the late Duke of Edinburgh, with teaching the rest of the royal family how to behave

Pictured: The late Queen Elizabeth, Princess Anne and her children all together in Windsor in 1985

Pictured: Prince William, Prince Harry and Peter Phillips arriving for Committal Service at St George’s Chapel in 2022, after the Queen passed away

Commenting on King Charles’s reign, he added: ‘I think that’s probably the greatest testament to both of them – that he’s doing things his way but very much with a nod to the way that they always did it and the core of what they taught us.’

Earlier in the interview, Peter also spoke about his relationship with his mother, Princess Anne, who he described as ‘hugely influential’ to both himself and his sister, Zara Tindall. 

He seemed especially in awe of his 73-year-old mother’s work ethic, which, according to Peter, stems from his grandparents, who were both working well into their nineties. 

Peter discussed the Princess Royal’s fondness for being with her loved ones amid a hectic schedule which sees her turning around ‘overseas trips in 24 hours’.

The King’s sister – who is often called the ‘hardest working royal’ and carried out 457 royal engagements in 2023 – has been dubbed ‘remarkable’ by her eldest child. 

‘Her mindset is, ‘listen I can go in do what we need to do and come back’ he told the programme.

‘She really values her home time and values her time with Tim and the family and the dogs and the horses and that’s a really important part of the structure of her week.

‘To be able to actually relax and just get to get to some form of normality.’