York's gender identity has been the subject of invasive speculation by tabloids in the past, prompting her to retreat from the public eye until now. She explains in her statement that she transitioned in the early 2000s. "For a considerable time now I have lived as Philippa," the statement begins. "As much as I've guarded my privacy over the years there are a few, I believe obvious, reasons to why I haven't had a public 'image' since I transitioned. Gratifyingly, times have moved on from ten years ago when my family, friends and I were subjected to the archaic views and prejudice that some people and certain sections of the tabloid media held."