Zara Tindall’s OTHER secret half sister who grew up on the other side of the world

While Zara Tindall and Peter Philips are known for their remarkably close sibling bond, they have another sister who is believed to rarely interact.

To Felicity, Wade, 37, was née Tonkin, the love child of Captain Mark Phillips, Princess Anne’s former husband – making her a half-sister to Zara, 42, and Peter.

She was reportedly conceived after Mark had a one-night stand with New Zealand art teacher Heather Tonkin in 1984 – while still married to the princess.

When she became pregnant, Mark reportedly told her to have an abortion, but Heather kept the baby and she was told her father was dead.

It wasn’t until she finished a school project that she learned of his true identity – though it is believed she never spoke to her father.

Mark and Princess Anne, who married in Westminster Abbey on November 14, 1973, as an estimated 500 million people watched.

However, it was the familial love of horses that brought Felicity’s mother, Heather, into contact with Captain Phillips in the first place.

The pair met in 1983 when she attended a riding clinic in her hometown given by Princess Anne’s then-husband.

They became friends and met again when Mark returned to Auckland the following year.

He invited her to his room, and Heather, who was in love with the army officer, enjoyed a hotel visit.

However, their time together resulted in Heather getting pregnant, and she later claimed that when she told Mark, he told her to have an abortion.

Heather chose to keep the baby, whom she nicknamed “Bunny,” while Mark refused to be named as her father on Felicity’s birth certificate.

Felicity would grow up thinking her father was dead, a lie her mother told her on the advice of one of Mark’s assistants.

Captain Mark Philips is the father of Princess Anne’s daughter Zara Tindall, as well as Felicity (Photo LR: Mark Philips and Zara Tindall at the 2022 Cheltenham Festival)

It wasn’t until the child was eight and she was doing a school project about her family history that Heather felt compelled to tell her daughter the truth by showing her a biography of Mark Phillips written by newscaster Angela Rippon.

And on top of that, he started paying Heather £6,000 a year through an associate for what his accounts described as ‘equestrian advice’.

However, once she reached school age, payments reportedly began to become erratic.

This prompted Heather to bring in lawyers and finally speak out publicly, which led to some uproar.

While Princess Anne and Mark had separated by this time, palace courtiers feared the scandal could affect the monarchy – which had already been the subject of stories of marital discord, due to the battle between Princess Diana and Prince Charles.

After it was made public, it emerged that Mark’s aides had tried to keep Heather quiet, further embarrassing the royal family.

On the advice of her lawyer, Heather recorded five calls to Mark’s business agent.

During them, he dismissed her concerns and threatened to sue her if she tried to put Mark’s name on the birth certificate.

In one of the calls, the agent told Heather, “If you want to cause a fap, everyone will just deny it.”

Felicity (pictured in 2011) shares her half-sister Zara Tindall’s love of horses and has been described as a highly skilled and dedicated specialist equine veterinarian

He went on to say “when this thing hits the fan your daughter’s life will be ruined,” adding that the “blow” was on Mark.

The £6,000 a year payments described as ‘consulting fees’ – which stopped when Felicity reached school age – were what the agent called a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ and Heather called ‘hush money’.

Speaking in 1991 about why she went public and why she threatened Mark with legal action, Heather said she “did what [she was] do for [her] child’.

“I hope and pray that Mark will do the right thing and reach a good and legally binding settlement with her,” she added.

“I wish I could wake up one morning knowing that the file was straightened out and I didn’t have to worry anymore.”

A DNA test that year proved Mark to be Felicity’s father, leading to a settlement reportedly worth £350,000, which is believed to have been used to pay school fees at one of Auckland’s top private schools, as well as for real estate investments to secure Felicity’s. future.

Heather had spoken about the stress of raising a child alone and revealed that ‘nothing can offset the tears’ [she had] cried as I tried to plan for Bunny’s future whenever and wherever [she] could find [herself] without money’.

According to Heather Tonkin (pictured with Felicity), she wanted to get Mark to accept that he fathered the child, and that his name would be on her birth certificate.

Heather (pictured shopping with her daughter Felicity) has said the child deserved to know the truth about who her father was

She added that her ambition had been to get “Mark’s public acceptance of.” [Felicity] and to write his name on her birth certificate,” and said her daughter thought her father was dead.

“She has a right to know the truth,” Heather said.

Even after the story went public, Mark wanted nothing to do with Felicity and would never send her a birthday card or ask about her health.

Princess Ann and Mark split, and the father and daughter are said to have had no contact despite being around at a 1999 event.

During the three day event, where Heather and Felicity were spectators, and Mark the track designer, the three would have been within 50 feet of each other.

But the captain seemed oblivious to their presence and, when asked by a journalist if he would meet them, had replied brusquely, “Wrong subject.”

While New Zealand-based Felicity may be 12,000 miles from her half-sister, and a social world away, the half-sisters seem to have a few things in common besides sharing the same father.

Zara, who is only four years older than Felicity, is known for her love of horses, she even became an Olympic medalist and silver medalist when she competed with the British equestrian team in the 2012 London Olympics.

And Felicity is also said to be a lover of all things equine, and is an avid equestrian and specialist equine vet, whose clients highly praise her skills and dedication.

Meanwhile, her husband Tristan Wade is an accomplished polo player – having played for the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor.

The pair reportedly share a £1.5 million estate in Auckland where they keep a number of horses.

Despite their shared interest in all things equestrian, Felicity and her half-sister Zara are believed to have never exchanged a word – despite the latter making several trips to New Zealand for work and vacation.

And in a further twist, because Felicity’s husband Tristan plays polo, he played the sport on some of the same fields as Princes William and Harry. His handicap of three is two higher than that of the royal brothers.

Not long after the couple tied the knot, Tristan – one of three polo-playing brothers from Sussex (his older brother Adrian is a professional player and coach who has represented England many times) – returned to Britain, where he played in a number tournaments.

They include the Royal Windsor Cup at the Guards Polo Club, where many of the matches were watched by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

It is unknown if Felicity accompanied him to the UK and was also one of the spectators as he played.

Two years after their marriage, in 2017, the couple welcomed each other their son in 2017. However, Mark would not have met his grandson.