hellomagazine.com

Autumn Kelly

SEND TO A FRIEND

Born in Montreal in 1978, Autumn graduated from McGill University in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and embarked upon a corporate career as a management consultant. Described by her mother Kathleen as a "very serious and intelligent young woman," she even attracted headhunters from the Canadian Intelligence Service who once approached her to join the organisation.

Blessed with both brains and beauty, the attractive young blonde caught the eye of the Princess Royal's handsome son during the 2003 Montreal Grand Prix, where Peter was working in a marketing capacity for the Williams Formula One Team and she was working in the BMW hospitality tent. Not long after they started courting, Autumn - who was 24 at the time – decided to leave her native country and lucrative job to move to Britain and be closer to her royal beau. "I've met him a few times and he's a great guy, a really nice person," enthuses her mum.

On her arrival in Britain, Autumn soon found employment with an American computer distributor, while Peter left Formula One for a job at the Royal Bank of Scotland. "Peter knows Autumn is great for him," said a source close to the pair. "She loves him for himself and not because of his royal connections." Unlike other royals and their partners, the couple were left to build their romance out of the public eye and have made determined efforts to remain out of the limelight. And despite reports that Peter - who previously dated American cod-liver oil heiress Elizabeth Iorio – once said his wife should be British, that requirement no longer seemed important.

Sporty Autumn quickly settled into traditional rural life in her adopted land, throwing herself wholeheartedly into the country pursuits so loved by the royals. And she and her hunky beau are a regular sight at equestrian events, often supporting Peter's champion rider sister Zara, who has become close to the Canadian beauty.

Zara is not the only royal relative with whom Autumn has found favour. The Queen also indicated her approval by inviting her grandson's girlfriend to join her and other senior members of the royal family on a nine-day cruise around the Western Isles in the summer of 2006. The pretty Canadian was also present for the Queen's intimate 80th birthday celebration at The Ritz in London.

The pair, who share a cottage on Peter's father's farm adjoining Princess Anne's Gatcombe Estate in Gloucestershire, became engaged in July 2007.

PROFILE

ONLINE POLL

VIDEO

SPECIAL