Canadian Autumn Phillips talks about joining life with the Royal Family
CBC News | Posted: June 10, 2016 1:58 AM | Last Updated: June 10, 2016
How to be a Canadian royal: Hold the 'eh' but bring the barbecue
It's not easy becoming royalty.
For Autumn Phillips, a Canadian who married Queen Elizabeth's eldest grandson, that means minding your p's and q's … and "ehs."
"I definitely have some Canadianisms that I bring to the table," she told the CBC's chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge.
And those Canadianisms don't go unnoticed, either. The family patriarch, Prince Philip, is apparently "very quick" to point them out, her husband Peter Phillips said.
"Well, I've never dropped the word 'eh.' That's still at the end of my sentence, replacing the question mark," Autumn Phillips said, adding that her two British-born children take issue with how she pronounces "tomato."
The 38-year-old is used to fielding questions about life inside the palace, mostly from friends in Montreal, where she was born and attended McGill University.
But since her 2008 marriage, the queries have died down. "I think they got bored with it."
Phillips said she was most surprised by how normal the Royal Family was.
"They're just a family, they're happy, they have great relationships with each other — they're very close."
The Queen, she said, "knows more about Canada than I ever will."
Phillips speaks with a touch of a British accent now. But it seems Canada has rubbed off on the Royal Family too, specifically with Prince Philip's love of barbecue.
You can watch the full interview on The National online or by clicking on the link above.
Corrections:- An earlier photo caption incorrectly described Autumn Phillips's husband as the Queen's eldest son. In fact, he's her eldest grandson. June 10, 2016 2:18 AM