Peter Phillips wed NHS nurse Harriet Sperling in a beautiful Cotswolds ceremony at the weekend, surrounded by senior royals including King Charles and Prince William. The elegant church service in the quiet village of Kemble was an understated affair, with the beautiful bride opting for a custom-made Emilia Wickstead dress and a vintage diamond and pearl tiara loaned by Pragnell.
The special day has got us reminiscing about Princess Anne's son Peter's first marriage to Autumn Kelly on 17 May 2008. The Princess Royal gifted the bride a dazzling tiara to wear to walk down the aisle - but she wasn't allowed to keep it.
The gorgeous Festoon Tiara was loaned to the blushing bride - a piece which was gifted to Princess Anne in 1973 by the World-Wide Shipping Group, and it completed Autumn's bridal look. She wore a wedding dress by British designer Sassi Holford, which consisted of a fitted bodice made of hand-beaded lace, a silk Duchesse skirt and a beaded French lace shrug.
"Doing such a gown does kind of encompass all the emotions the bride feels on her day – I was excited, then terribly nervous, then full of joy," the designer told HELLO!.
The Queen's daughter has since been pictured wearing the sparkling tiara on numerous occasions, including during a banquet at the Guildhall in 2017 when she paired it with the matching necklace.
However, the Festoon Necklace was nowhere to be seen on Autumn's wedding day. Instead, the bride accessorised with pearl earrings and a matching necklace, which Peter had sent to her at Windsor Castle the night before their nuptials.
Peter's relationship with ex-wife Autumn
Peter met Autumn at the 2003 Montreal Grand Prix, but it was about six weeks before she found out that her new love was Queen Elizabeth's grandson.
They tied the knot at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in 2008, in front of royals such as Her Majesty, the Duke of Edinburgh, and Zara Tindall who acted as bridesmaid, as well as Autumn’s family who flew in from her home country of Canada.
The couple went on to welcome children Savannah and Isla, who were born in 2010 and 2012 respectively, and lived nearby to Princess Anne on her Gatcombe Park estate.
However, Peter and Autumn announced their split in February 2020 and they were officially divorced on Monday 14 June 2021.
Peter's second marriage
Peter wed NHS nurse Harriet Sperling in an intimate countryside ceremony in the Cotswolds on Saturday 8 June. The couple, who began dating in 2024, tied the knot in the sleepy village of Kemble, located just 17 minutes from the Princess Royal’s Gatcombe Park estate.
First official photographs captured by photographer Mark Nicholson show the newlyweds looking very much in love following the service. The bride looked striking in a custom Emilia Wickstead wedding dress featuring a clean, column silhouette crafted from French lace. She paired the elegant gown with Jimmy Choo heels and a sparkling tiara from Pragnell.
© GettyGiven that it was both parties' second wedding, they chose to keep their guest list fairly small. Peter's uncle, King Charles, and Queen Camilla were among the prominent guests in attendance, though they were forced to cut their celebrations short to travel to the Epsom Derby for a scheduled royal engagement later that afternoon.
The rest of the royal family descended on the small village to celebrate, with the couple's children taking on central roles in the wedding. Peter's daughters, Savannah, 15, and Isla, 14, alongside Harriet's teenage daughter, Georgina, all served as bridesmaids for the special occasion.
Leading up to the wedding, there was much anticipation over whether Harriet would wear a tiara - a privilege that requires approval from the royal family. Because Peter’s mother, Princess Anne, famously declined royal titles for her children when Peter was born in 1977, Harriet does not inherit a royal title through her marriage.
Ultimately, Harriet chose to wear a stunning piece from the Pragnell archives rather than borrowing one of Princess Anne’s personal tiaras. This deliberate choice allowed her to completely avoid comparisons to Peter’s first wife, Autumn Kelly, and his sister, Zara Tindall, who both famously wore Princess Anne's historic Meander tiara for their weddings. By selecting an independent piece, Harriet maintained complete ownership over her own unique, modern bridal look.
