I've met various members of the British royal family over the years but interviewing the newest member of The Firm was intriguing. Harriet Phillips – née Sperling – married Peter on 6 June this year. Their Cotswolds wedding on a drizzly Cotswolds day was an incredible event and we held the magazine deadline open on the day so we could bring readers all the stunning photos of the event. In all we published 22 pages and the front cover and it was the biggest-selling issue of the year.
Since first photographed with Peter back in May 2024, Harriet has been a compelling newcomer onto the royal scene. Two years later, she became the newest Royal bride. But just who really is this captivating, honey-toned royal newcomer?
I had already met her on a video call a few weeks before our world exclusive HELLO! shoot and interview to discuss the looks at the photoshoot with Harriet and the stylist and HELLO! Visuals Director Nathan Higham-Grady.
Polite, poised and very well-spoken, Harriet was friendly and at ease, despite being the first time meeting us. Not just that, but this is the first time she's met the media before.
A few weeks later, on one of the last dry and warm days of early Autumn, we finally meet in person for our shoot and interview.
I was introduced in the dining room of Calcot Manor & Spa hotel in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, not far from the farm she lives on with Peter and their daughters from previous marriages.
It was incredible to think this was her first shoot. She is genuine, easy to connect with and self-assured.
She possesses an effortless composure and is a born natural in front of the camera.
She doesn't show even the remotest flicker of unease, even when hotel guests were doing double takes while they walk past our photoshoot within the sweeping hotel grounds.
© Dan KennedyWe chatted about having teenage daughters before we walked around to the treehouse lodge where we had set up camp for the day.
She made sure to introduce herself to everyone before the stylist Hannah took her through the outfit choices in the lodge living room.
A photoshoot can be an intimidating experience for anyone not well-versed in how they work. But Harriet took it all in her stride.
After a series of stunning set-up shots around the hotel grounds, I sat down for my hour-long interview over lunch in a quiet area of the hotel.
All credit to her, Harriet answered every single question. I've media trained countless people from company CEOs to notorious celebrities and coached them in what to say and what NOT to say in interviews.
Harriet needed no such coaching.
Here is an extraordinary solo parent who has worked in the NHS for 24 years and when she least expected it, became friends with a fellow parent at their daughter’s hockey team games.
And then fell in love.
Except he is a member of the royal family and his mother is Princess Anne. And his uncle is the King.
It's the stuff of fairy tales. But I don't want to belittle Harriet and her relationship with Peter.
They are obviously very much in love. Without sounding cheesy and starry-eyed, she lights up when she talks about him.
"Feeling understood by Peter was the most powerful feeling in the world – he's my best friend and we feel that we're meant to be together," she told me.
Their story of slowly falling in love and his beach proposal could not be more romantic.
© @dankennedyphotoBut the reason for the interview is to announce her new role as Patron of Home-Start Cotswolds. It's a very small charity but as she says, "I would love to help shine a light on the work of Home-Start Cotswolds and the incredible work that it undertakes. We don't just support babies by caring for them directly – we support babies by supporting the people who care for them."
She's not just someone who has married into one of the most famous royal families in the world.
Harriet has brought up her 14-year-old daughter single-handedly whilst also working for the NHS for more than two decades. It hasn't all been plain sailing.
"Nursing is a deeply people-centred profession, and for 24 years, I've worked alongside amazing colleagues and built strong relationships. You share difficult, challenging moments, but also celebrate the days when children get better."
She really means it when she told me: "It's been an enormous privilege to spend 24 years working in the NHS, and I've loved my career. It has taught me so much, professionally and personally. Over time, I've become increasingly passionate about the importance of promoting healthy brain development. If we can support parents during this critical early period, we have an opportunity to make a lasting difference for children."
Do not underestimate Harriet. She brings real-life experience of the world into the royal family. Frontline experience of working as a nurse in the NHS with babies and young children.
The royal family are lucky to have her.
For more information on Home-Start, visit home-start-cotswolds.org.uk. HELLO! has donated a fee to Home-Start Cotswolds
