Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling’s Wedding Announcement: Everything to know about intimate ceremony
Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling’s Wedding Announcement: Everything to know about intimate ceremony
Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling will marry at All Saints Church, Kemble, Cirencester on Saturday in what is expected to be one of the biggest Royal Family gatherings of the summer. The couple, who announced their engagement last August after more than a year together, will wed near to where the bride grew up in before heading to the Gatcombe Park estate for the reception.
The happy couple have been engaged for just over a year, and the date of their royal wedding was announced in April. Few details of the nuptials have been publicised, but the King and Queen and other senior members of the Royal Family are expected to attend the intimate family occasion on June 6.
The couple made their debut at the Badminton Horse Trials in Gloucestershire in May 2024, and are understood to be planning a private and intimate countryside wedding surrounded by close family and friends in the Cotswolds. As the son of Princess Anne and the late Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest grandson, Peter remains deeply embedded within royal life despite not being a working royal himself. Harriet, meanwhile, has quietly become a familiar face within royal circles over the past year, joining Peter at major events including Royal Ascot, Wimbledon, and the Easter Mattins service earlier this spring.
From the venue and expected guest list to the royal traditions the couple may embrace, here is everything we know so far about Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling’s upcoming wedding.
Read more: Seven wedding rules Peter Phillips doesn’t have to follow thanks to King Charles
Read more: Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling’s wedding reception location confirmed
Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling’s wedding announcement
A spokesperson for the couple announced on April 1 that the couple had set a date for their wedding.
They said in a statement: “Mr Peter Phillips, the son of HRH The Princess Royal and Captain Mark Phillips and Ms Harriet Sperling, daughter of the late Mr Rupert Sanders and Mrs Mary Sanders of Gloucestershire, have today announced their wedding date.
The summer wedding will take place at All Saints Church, Kemble, Cirencester on Saturday 6th June 2026 in a private ceremony. Both families have been informed jointly of the wedding date by invitation.
“Their Majesties The King and Queen, The Prince and Princess of Wales have also been informed of the announcement. Further details will be announced in due course.”
Where will Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling get married?
Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling will marry in the Cotswolds, a region deeply connected to both of their lives and royal family roots. The couple are planning an intimate countryside celebration rather than a large-scale royal spectacle, keeping closely aligned with Peter’s famously private approach to public life.
The pair are set to tie the knot at All Saints’ Church, a historic parish church in Kemble near Cirencester, on Saturday, June 6, 2026.
The venue itself appears particularly meaningful for the family. All Saints’ Church sits just a short drive from Gatcombe Park in Gloucestershire – the sprawling 730-acre estate belonging to Princess Anne, where Peter previously lived following his divorce and where Zara and Mike Tindall continue raising their family today.
Unlike Prince William and Princess Catherine’s grand Westminster Abbey ceremony or Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Windsor wedding, Peter and Harriet’s day is expected to feel considerably more relaxed, private and family-focused. This is largely because they have both been married before.
Reports suggest the couple are prioritising close friends, immediate relatives and a traditional countryside atmosphere over a heavily televised royal event.
Where will the wedding reception be held?
Peter and Harriet’s wedding reception is understood to be taking place at Gatcombe Park, the official residence of the groom’s mother, Princess Anne. The sprawling Gloucestershire estate is Peter’s childhood home, so is a fitting location to hold the wedding celebrations.
The wedding has been organised by Peregrine Armstrong Jones of Bentleys Entertainment, HELLO! magazine reports. Peregrine, who is the half-brother of the late Princess Margaret’s ex-husband Antony Armstrong-Jones has worked with Peter in the past, organising his 21st birthday celebrations, which were held at Windsor Castle.
He has also organised events for Peter’s mother and his sister’s wedding to Mike Tindall. Other notable events include David and Victoria Beckham’s nuptials.
Who is expected to attend?
Senior royals are expected to attend the wedding, including King Charles and Queen Camilla, who are understood to have been invited to the countryside ceremony. The King’s presence would be particularly significant given he helped modernise attitudes surrounding royal divorce and remarriage following his own wedding to Camilla in 2005.
The Prince and Princess of Wales are also expected to join the celebrations, alongside the Princess Royal and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, while Peter’s father Captain Mark Phillips is likely to play a prominent role throughout the day too.
Zara and Mike Tindall are also widely expected to attend, with the siblings remaining exceptionally close over the years. Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie may also join the celebrations, alongside several members of the wider royal family circle. The wedding is expected to draw a strong turnout from senior royals despite its smaller and more intimate scale.
Will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend?
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are not expected to attend the wedding amid ongoing reports surrounding fractured family relationships.
A friend close to The Princess Royal’s son told the Daily Mail: “Peter and Harry haven’t spoken for several years and have simply lost touch, so he hasn’t been invited.”
The source continued: “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.”
The reported absence has reignited discussion surrounding Harry’s increasingly distant relationship with the wider Royal Family following the Sussexes’ departure from royal duties in 2020.
Will Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie attend?
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were initally expected to be among the guests invited – the sisters having remained close to their cousin over the years. However, questions have reportedly emerged surrounding their attendance amid ongoing scrutiny connected to their father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
While there has been no suggestion either princess has been excluded from the celebrations, recent developments surrounding Prince Andrew, 66, and their mother Sarah Ferguson are understood to have placed renewed scrutiny on the York sisters’ public image.
It has also been suggested that Princess Beatrice, 37, and Princess Eugenie, 36, may be mindful of not overshadowing Peter and Harriet’s nuptials with heightened attention surrounding their appearance at the wedding. Meanwhuile, it remains unclear at this stage if they will attend the wedding, or joing the celebrations following the Church service away from public view.
Who is Peter Phillips?
Peter Phillips, 48, is the eldest child of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips and the eldest grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Despite his close royal connections, Peter does not hold a royal title and has never been a working royal.
Over the years, he has largely remained outside the spotlight compared to his younger cousins, instead pursuing a career in sports and corporate management. Peter is currently 19th in line to the throne.
Depsite this he has remained at the beating heart of the Royal Family throughout his life, regularly attending major royal events including Trooping the Colour, royal weddings, funerals and Christmas celebrations at Sandringham.
Who is Harriet Sperling?
Harriet Sperling is an NHS paediatric nurse and single mother who has steadily become a familiar figure within royal circles over the past year. While she largely remained out of the public eye before her relationship with Peter Phillips became known, Harriet has since joined the royals at several high-profile events.
The couple first appeared publicly together at the Badminton Horse Trials before later attending Wimbledon and Royal Ascot side-by-side last summer. Earlier this year, she once again joined members of the Royal Family at the Easter Mattins service in Windsor, further fuelling speculation that the relationship had become increasingly serious behind palace walls.
Unlike many previous royal partners, Harriet comes from a professional healthcare background rather than aristocratic society circles, something royal watchers have quietly praised as a refreshing change.
She was previously married to fitness instructor Antonio St John Sperling and the pair has a teenage daughter, Harriet.
How long have Peter and Harriet been together?
Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling are believed to have started dating in 2024, with their relationship becoming public shortly afterwards. Over the past year, Harriet has increasingly integrated into royal family life through appearances at major public events and private family gatherings.
The couple announced their engagement earlier this year after more than a year together. Friends close to the pair reportedly described Peter as feeling incredibly happy.
Who was Peter Phillips’ first wife?
Peter Phillips was previously married to Canadian-born Autumn Kelly. The pair married at St George’s Chapel in Windsor in 2008 and later welcomed two daughters together, Savannah and Isla.
At the time, the wedding was viewed as one of the biggest royal celebrations of the late 2000s, attended by senior royals including the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
Peter and Autumn announced their separation in 2020 after more than a decade of marriage, later finalising their divorce amicably. The former couple have continued co-parenting their daughters closely since the split.
What royal traditions could feature at the wedding?
While Peter and Harriet’s ceremony is expected to feel more relaxed because it’s a private ceremony, several long-standing royal traditions could still appear throughout the day.
Their wedding next month will mark Peter’s second marriage following his split from Autumn Kelly – Savannah, 15, and Isla, 14
Royal brides have traditionally carried bouquets featuring myrtle since the reign of Queen Victoria, while Welsh gold wedding bands have also remained a famous royal custom for generations. Strict dress codes are also expected, with male guests likely wearing morning suits while female guests embrace formal dresses and elaborate hats or fascinators.
If the couple choose to follow broader royal wedding customs, the celebrations may also be divided into two receptions – a formal daytime luncheon followed by a smaller private evening party for close family and friends.
Unlike major London royal weddings, however, the couple are not expected to undertake a public carriage procession reflecting the far more intimate nature of the occasion.
