Harold Phillips (British Army officer)

Harold Phillips (1909 – 1980) was a British Army officer and businessman, best known for his connections to the British royal family through his daughters.

Early Life and Career:

Phillips was born into a military family. His father was Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Henry Phillips, DSO, Royal Field Artillery, and his mother was Mary Georgiana Barratt. He was educated at Eton College and later commissioned into the Royal Artillery.

Military Service:

Phillips served with distinction during World War II, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Details of his specific wartime engagements are less readily available in public records than details of his later family life.

Family:

In 1944, he married Georgina Wernher, daughter of Sir Harold Wernher, 3rd Baronet, and Countess Anastasia de Torby. Georgina Wernher was a close confidante and lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. Through this marriage, Phillips entered the upper echelons of British society and became closely associated with the royal family.

Harold and Georgina Phillips had five children:

• Alexandra Anastasia Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn (born 1946)
• Nicholas Harold Phillips (1947 – 1991)
• Fiona Georgina Phillips (born 1951)
• Marita Georgina Phillips (born 1954)
• Natalia Ayesha Phillips (born 1959)

His daughters, Alexandra, Fiona, Marita and Natalia, were all close friends of the royal family. Alexandra is especially notable as the Duchess of Abercorn, wife of James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Abercorn.

Later Life:

After leaving the army, Phillips pursued a career in business. Details of his specific business ventures are less documented. He lived at Checkendon Court, Oxfordshire. He died in 1980.

Legacy:

Harold Phillips is primarily remembered for his family connections to the British royal family and the social prominence of his daughters. While he had a distinguished military career, it is overshadowed by the influence of his wife and daughters within the royal circle.