Glowing with happiness after being declared husband and wife, Peter Phillips and his bride, Harriet Sperling, smile with joy outside the church where they have just married.
As church bells pealed behind them, the bride and groom posed for the world’s media only moments after exchanging vows in front of the most senior members of the royal family, including the King and Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales and the mother of the groom, the Princess Royal.
© GettyPeter’s sister, Zara Tindall, and her husband, Mike, were also in attendance, accompanied by their two eldest children, Mia, 12, and Lena, seven. The small Gloucestershire village of Kemble came to a standstill while the romantic ceremony took place at the picturesque All Saints Church, with crowds of spectators gathering in the streets to catch a glimpse of the royal guests.
"Absolutely radiant"
hello!’s Lucy Norris, who was outside the church, said: "The bride and groom looked absolutely radiant. They delighted the crowds as they shared a kiss in the car as they left. Their happiness was shining through as they waved to onlookers, and it was clear that the entire day had gone exactly as they’d planned, despite the rain."
Proceedings began at midday, when the church opened its doors. It proved to be the perfect venue for both families, as it is of equal distance from Princess Anne’s Gatcombe Park estate, where Peter and Zara both live, and the £1.5m, six-bedroom Edwardian family home in the village of South Cerney, where Harriet, an NHS paediatric nurse, grew up.
The bride and groom made sure that their blended family were at the heart of their beautiful wedding day. Peter’s two daughters with his former wife, Autumn Kelly – Savannah, 15, and Isla, 14 – were front and centre, taking on the role of bridesmaids alongside their new stepsister, Harriet’s daughter Georgina, 13.
© Samir Hussein/WireImageRoyal arrivals
The groom’s proud mother, Princess Anne, wearing a floral dress with a lemon yellow linen jacket, was one of the first to arrive, accompanied by her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Harriet’s mother, Mary Sanders, attended with the bride’s sisters, Rebecca and Louisa, and her brother, Nicholas, who walked her up the aisle in place of her father, Rupert, who died in 2023.
The groom was the first to arrive, driving to the church and slipping in through a side entrance. Soon afterwards, the royals made their way to the chapel. The Princess of Wales looked elegant in a dark-cream boucle maxi dress by Roland Mouret, paired with a Jane Taylor hat, a Forever New bag, Gianvito Rossi shoes and Kiki McDonough earrings.
© Samir Hussein/WireImageShe was driven to the ceremony by her husband, the Prince, who was wearing a morning suit, and the couple received loud cheers from the crowd as they stepped out of their car. Zara wore a blue dress by Rebecca Vallance with shoes from Emmy London, a bag by Anya Hindmarch and a Camilla Rose Millinery hat. Her daughter Mia – who wore silver heels that matched her mother’s – was seen chatting to Princess Eugenie as they waited outside the chapel.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh attended with their son, James, Earl of Wessex, with Sophie wearing a smart blue Beulah London dress paired with a matching Jane Taylor hat, a bag from Sophie Habsburg and Prada heels.
© Getty ImagesA rare appearance for the princesses
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, who is pregnant with her third child, were also present. It was the first time that the sisters had been pictured with their royal relatives since they were invited to spend Christmas at Sandringham by the King, and they put in a chic appearance, with Beatrice wearing a green floral Emilia Wickstead dress and Eugenie in a dress by Gabriela Hearst, with a Fendi bag and heels and an Alice band by Sarah Cant Couture.
© Getty ImagesThe Princesses looked relaxed and happy as they arrived with their husbands, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank, who were both wearing morning suits. Also in attendance was Peter’s half-sister Stephanie – the daughter of Captain Mark Phillips and his second wife, Sandy Pflueger – with her husband, William.
The bride’s mother, Mary, wore an ice-blue Lalage Beaumont dress and jacket with a bag and hat by Jane Taylor London, while Harriet’s sisters, Rebecca and Louisa, wore Beulah London dresses, paired with shoes from Emmy London and hats by Jane Taylor. Rebecca carried a bag from Aspinal of London, while Louisa’s was from Emmy London. Their children all wore outfits from Boden.
The King and Queen were among the last of the royals to arrive, with Charles waving to waiting well-wishers as he stepped out of his car in a morning suit. Camilla opted for a cream dress and matching coat, paired with a Lady Dior handbag.
© Getty ImagesOther royals who attended included Princess Margaret’s children, Lady Sarah Chatto – accompanied by her husband, Daniel – and David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon, who was joined by his daughter, Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones, and his partner, Isabelle de la Bruyère. Lady Sarah’s son, Samuel Chatto, arrived with his girlfriend, Eleanor Ekserdjian, and the Beulah designer Lady Natasha Rufus Isaacs was also present.
Beautiful florals
Guests were greeted by the sight of huge foliage arrangements and a floral archway at the entrance to the church, which had been created by the floral artist Millie Richardson. The displays were made up of a range of locally sourced, English-grown flowers, which were included to ensure the decor was eco-conscious and sustainably minded.
Millie had created two floral archways: one at the gates to the church and another at the front porch of the chapel. The former featured white, cream and pale-pink rambling and arching roses, while the latter included red multi-stem silver birch and hornbeam trees, which were layered with branches of textured foliage and varieties of David Austin roses.
Well-wishers had gathered in the village from early in the morning, keen to get a good view of the bride and groom. Roads around the village had been closed in advance by police, who were seen making checks on the area in the run-up to the wedding day.
Royal-watchers were lucky enough to spot Peter, 48 – the first of the late Queen’s grandchildren to remarry – in his smart classic morning suit by the Savile Row tailors Dege & Skinner. The groom’s outfit wasn’t selected merely for its sartorial flair; the tailoring firm made the Blues and Royals uniform for his mother, Princess Anne, and previously crafted a riding coat for his sister, Zara, and ensembles for both Peter and his father, Captain Mark Phillips. The groom was accompanied by his best man, his childhood friend Andrew Tucker.
Here comes the bride
With all eyes upon her, Harriet, 45, pulled up in a vintage Rolls Royce, perfectly on time for the 1pm service. As her mother and her three bridesmaids – Savannah, Isla and Georgina – walked towards the vehicle, she took a few moments to compose herself before greeting them
© Samir Hussein/WireImageTo gasps of admiration from the crowd, the bride revealed her exquisite Emilia Wickstead gown as she stepped out of the car. The three girls helped Harriet on to the pavement, helping her to arrange her veil and train.
The statuesque column dress, crafted from Italian crepe, featured a dramatic three-metre train, a square neckline and a low back. Layered over the gown was a removable sheer waist-length lace bodice with a high neckline and transparent sleeves, while the gown and train were internally structured with French lace.
The lace was sourced from Sophie Hallette’s French archives, dating back to the early 1900s, and was woven with prairie flowers, a nod to the blooms that are native to Gloucestershire. Presented in an ivory corded lace, its oversized scalloped pattern enhanced the architectural lines of the gown, with the motif continuing across the neckline and cuffs, where domed buttons provided a refined finishing touch. Harriet also wore a lace-trimmed scalloped veil. “We aligned on something authentic, traditional and modern,” the designer said of the gown.
Harriet wore Jimmy Choo heels and earrings by Pragnell – a jeweller in Mayfair that has long been commissioned by the royal family – as well as the diamond Pragnell family tiara. She carried a bouquet created by florist Millie, made up of sweet peas, myrtle and lily of the valley. Myrtle carries special significance for the bride and groom, as it is a traditional bloom in both their families, symbolising love, beauty and peace.
The bridesmaids also wore dresses by Emilia Wickstead, teamed with earrings from Aspinal of London. Complementing Peter’s buttonhole flower, they each carried a posy made up of seasonal, delicate flowers including Majolica spray roses and Nigella love-in-a-mist pale-blue roses, which have been a tradition at weddings in Harriet’s family. Each of the girls wore a hand-wired headpiece created using lily of the valley.
© Samir Hussein/WireImageInside the chapel, guests admired the beautiful displays created by Millie Richardson, who was one of the commissioned floral designers at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Millie used trees and extensive planting in her designs for both the church and the marquee, all of which were later planted elsewhere.
The colour theme for the day was white, off-white and cream, with faint hues of pale pink, blended with seasonal Granny Smith apple-coloured greenery. Flowers included in the design included rambling roses and English garden roses, jasmine, orange blossom, forget-me-nots, peonies, flowering honeysuckle and digitalis.
A perfectly calm bride
The bride appeared to be perfectly calm as she made her way into the church, with her young bridesmaids following her. Once inside, she took the arm of her brother, Nicholas, who walked her up the aisle ahead of the service, which was conducted by the Reverend Dr Steve Bullock. He is renowned locally for his DJ skills, which he uses to great effect at community events, although there was no sign of his decks at the royal wedding. The blessing and address were delivered by Reverend Nicky Gumbel.
After being declared husband and wife, the newlyweds walked down the aisle as their guests shared in their joy by extending their congratulations.
At the front of the church, they stopped in the rain to pose for photographers, with Peter gallantly holding an umbrella over his bride’s head as their wedding party looked on.
© Samir Hussein/WireImageThe newlyweds then shared a kiss inside the car that had arrived to take them to the reception, which took place at Gatcombe Park – a venue with special meaning for the groom, given that the estate is where he and Zara grew up. The King and Queen, however, sent their regrets. The royal couple are joint patrons of The Jockey Club and travelled 100 miles to Derby Day at the Epsom Derby directly from the ceremony.
Heading off to party
That didn’t stop the rest of the royals from joining Peter and Harriet at their lavish party. Both the wedding and the reception were organised by the A-list party planner Peregrine Armstrong-Jones of Bentley’s Entertainments.
Peregrine, the half-brother of Princess Margaret’s former husband, Antony Armstrong-Jones, has worked with Peter in the past, organising his 21st birthday celebrations at Windsor Castle. He was also the man behind Zara and Mike Tindall’s wedding in 2011 and the 1999 nuptials of David Beckham and Victoria Adams.
Saturday’s ceremony was the first royal wedding since Princess Beatrice tied the knot with Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in July 2020. The happy occasion came as a welcome distraction and an opportunity for a family celebration after a challenging time for the royals, following Charles and Kate’s cancer diagnoses and the ongoing scandal surrounding Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Left off the guestlist
Although the family were well represented, there were four high-profile figures who did not make the guest list: Andrew and his former wife, Sarah Ferguson, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Andrew and Sarah have not attended any royal events since the extent of their involvement with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was revealed late last year.
Meanwhile, Harry and Meghan are no longer in touch with Peter – who is the head of partner acquisition for the motorsport division of the global sports and entertainment agency Wasserman – after the couple’s move to California. The cousins were once close friends but Harry and Meghan did not receive an invitation to the nuptials.
© Getty Images for NetflixA friend of the couple told us: "It was probably not deemed appropriate to invite [Andrew and Sarah]. It's Peter and Harriet’s special day, and clearly their attendance would cause a distraction.
“Peter and Harry haven't spoken for several years and have simply lost touch, so he hasn't been invited."
However, the appearance of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie was a potentially significant one. The sisters have been keeping a low profile amid the continuing revelations about their family’s association with Epstein and were not at this year’s royal Easter Sunday gathering.
Yet their attendance at the wedding could be seen as an encouraging sign that their relationship with the wider family remains intact, although further disclosures last week – when it was revealed that the King pays the sisters’ rent on their royal residences – have piled more pressure on the Princesses.
