Preparations are officially underway for Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling's royal wedding this weekend, with florists and decorators captured arriving at the Cotswolds church. The son of Princess Anne is set to wed his NHS fiancée Harriet Sperling on Saturday, June 6, at Gloucestershire's All Saint's Church in what insiders have described as an intimate but deeply significant affair.
Despite the wet weather, crew have been working tirelessly to help set up for the event, carrying large urns, decorations, and various plants into the church to begin preparing for the ceremony. The festivities are being overseen by Bentley's Entertainments, a blue-chip firm which oversaw David and Victoria Beckham's wedding, multiple parties for Sir Elton John, Princess Eugenie's Windsor wedding to Jack Brooksbank, and Peter Phillips' 2008 wedding to Autumn Kelly.
Now, these new images suggest that the couple may be opting for a more minimalist and all-foliage wedding, with a focus on greenery rather than traditional flowers. It serves as the first indicator of what royal fans should expect for the high-profile event, which is set to be attended by almost all of the Royal Family, though Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Prince Harry are reportedly exempt from the guest list.
The Duke of Sussex, who stands closest to Peter in a snap from Charles and Camilla's wedding, is not expected to attend his cousin's big day this weekend as the pair have 'lost touch.' However, among those expected to attend the all-important event are King Charles and Queen Camilla, alongside Peter's mother Princess Anne and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Lawrence.
Also expected at the Gloucestershire ceremony are the Prince and Princess of Wales, as well as Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh. A friend close to The Princess Royal's son said: 'Peter and Harry haven't spoken for several years and have simply lost touch, so he hasn't been invited.' Another pal added: 'Peter and Harriet's wedding is an intimate occasion with their close friends and immediate family around them in the Cotswolds. It's an area where they grew up and is very special to them both.'
Peter's sister Zara Tindall and her husband Mike Tindall are also believed to be present at the celebrations. Following the private ceremony, guests will toast to the happy couple at a reception hosted by the groom's family at Gatcombe Park.
Peter, 48, and Harriet, 45, officially announced their engagement in August last year after first being linked in May 2024. In a statement to announce the joyous news, they said both families were 'delighted.' Fellow divorcee Harriet, who shares a 13-year-old daughter, Georgina, from her first marriage, boasts wealthy connections, sharing a relation to the Duke of Gloucester through her late father, Rupert Sperling. Peter, who is 19th in the line of succession, popped the question with a sparkling ring which boasts a subtle but touching tribute to his beloved grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, having been designed by the same jeweller behind her iconic 1946 ring.
For royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams, there is no doubt that Peter and Harriet's wedding will be vastly different from his previous nuptials to Autumn Kelly that left the Royal Family 'bewildered.' Held at Windsor's St George's Chapel in 2008, the high-profile event saw 300 guests gather to celebrate the happy couple, including 70 members of Autumn's family and even a young Kate Middleton. But now, 17 years on, the day is often remembered for the highly intimate snapshot into the family life of the royals it provided, all thanks to a controversial deal the newlyweds signed with Hello! magazine.
As a £500,000 wedding present to the couple, Hello! were given exclusive rights to picture most of the ceremony including inside the chapel and the reception in Frogmore House. This resulted in a 100-page exclusive feature from the magazine, which included remarkably candid shots of the royals including images of the family laughing and one photo of Prince Harry giving his grandmother, Elizabeth II, a peck on the cheek. They were a far cry from the traditionally stage-managed wedding photographs released by the Royal Family.
The spread was not well received by the Firm, with senior members of the family, including the late Queen, allegedly less than impressed, having felt blindsided by the publication of the pictures. Buckingham Palace released a statement shortly afterwards claiming that the deal was a 'serious error of judgement.' Even politicians at the time also chimed in, with Labour MP Ian Gibson claiming the British public would be shocked to see their monarch in those pages.
The pair later welcomed daughters Savannah, now 15, and Isla, 13, before separating in 2019. Their divorce was finalised in 2021. However, Peter has since found love with Harriet, who quickly became a familiar and warmly received face within royal circles. Last summer she was seen laughing alongside the King at Royal Ascot after joining members of the Royal Family in the official carriage procession, a strong sign of how accepted she has become within the Firm.
Harriet herself is known for having strong religious roots, having previously shared how she took great strength from her Christian faith as she battled through the early years of single parenthood when 'resources were scarce and the future was uncertain.' In an interview in 2009, she revealed that her 'faith was always in me, but it was kind of dormant.' She added: 'Somehow it didn't seem relevant to my life in London. But the end of a seven-year relationship was the turning point for me. I went to church as I felt there was something missing.'
In a piece written for Christian magazine Woman Alive last year, she also admitted that she'd often found life as a single parent difficult, but found comfort after turning to her faith. She said: 'In the earlier years of my journey as a single mother to my daughter, resources were scarce, and the future was uncertain. Yet, in the absence of material security, I discovered the strength and life that comes from true selfless love. A love that is able to be solely devoted to your child.'
'My daughter and I journeyed 10 years with only each other. I liken us to an island and it has often felt hard to imagine anyone joining that island. But of course beauty comes from relationships, relationship with our maker and relationship with each other. It is often tough parenting alone but although there is a stigma to endure, God is able to step in and turn it for good.'
