Harriet Sperling, the NHS nurse who has very quickly captured the hearts of the nation, and Peter Phillips, the eldest child of Princess Anne, recently announced the news of their engagement, and royal watchers rejoiced at the couple's milestone. HELLO! understands that this summer will mark her first holiday at Balmoral with the rest of Peter's family, as she could not travel up to Scotland last year due to work commitments. Typically, the British royals get up to all kinds of activities during their Scottish summer vacation, which will give Harriet and Peter even more time to bond as a blended family.
© Getty Images for Outsourcing IncSome of the family's traditional outdoor activities include hiking, fishing, horse riding and cycling, which is always much more fun in a group than it is on your own. Plus, I don't think you can get much better than the expansive estate of Balmoral Castle, which is over 53,000 acres, for a bit of outdoor family bonding time!
Outdoor activities as a family can be very beneficial
According to Dr Katie Barge, chartered child and educational psychologist and founder of The Nurture System, these kinds of activities offer much more than the obvious benefit of exercise, also supporting wellbeing: "Time outdoors has been shown to lower stress, improve mood, and boost concentration in children. Even a short 20-minute walk in nature can reduce cortisol and improve attention span."
She also emphasises the significance of "bonding through shared experience", noting that "shared physical activity fosters stronger parent-child communication and relationship quality". The psychologist adds: "Activities like cycling promote persistence, balance, and independence in a safe, supported environment – important for confidence and resilience."
© Getty ImagesDr Katie concludes that it's a "simple but powerful way" for families to ensure that they're all getting healthy movement, exposure to nature and some quality bonding time, all of which she describes as "protective factors for children's long-term mental health".
Rachel Kelly, parenting expert and author of The Gift of Teenagers, explains that "we have an innate tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life", adding: "These kinds of activities are the perfect way of combining young people's desire for independence with being outdoors and covering the ground in a supportive group."
Harriet and Peter's children
Peter Phillips shares two daughters, Savannah, 14, and Isla, 13, with his ex-wife Autumn, while Harriet is a single mother to her daughter, Georgia, who was born in 2012. The blended family already appear to be incredibly close; HELLO!'s Royal Correspondent, Danielle Stacey, says: "A source previously told me how they appeared to be a 'tight unit' together when they all attended the Gloucester Festival of Polo last year, and Harriet was described to me as 'very motherly' and 'very good with the kids'."
