Engagement of Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling; 1 Aug 2025


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www.thecourtjeweller.com

A Romantic Royal Family Engagement Announcement in Britain

Friday brought us happy news for the Princess Royal's son, as Peter Phillips announced that he is engaged to marry his girlfriend, Harriet Sperling—and he proposed with a diamond ring! Peter, 47, is the only
www.thecourtjeweller.com www.thecourtjeweller.com

Details on the ring.

I could see Autumn attending - she attended Peter’s half sisters wedding a few years ago with her partner.
 
I can Autumn attending if it takes place in Gloucester where they all live. If they go for a very small family wedding at say Balmoral or Windsor I think it is less likely.
 
No news on a date yet. So earliest date likely Spring (April/May) but I'm guessing summer. I still wonder if they'll go for a Balmoral wedding like Anne's second one (then Anne and both her children will have had a wedding in Scotland which is a nice touch) but we'll have to just wait and see.
 
PrincessofEurope said:
www.thecourtjeweller.com

A Romantic Royal Family Engagement Announcement in Britain

Friday brought us happy news for the Princess Royal's son, as Peter Phillips announced that he is engaged to marry his girlfriend, Harriet Sperling—and he proposed with a diamond ring! Peter, 47, is the only
www.thecourtjeweller.com www.thecourtjeweller.com

Details on the ring.

I could see Autumn attending - she attended Peter’s half sisters wedding a few years ago with her partner.
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There is a difference between attending a wedding for a former in law you are close to, and your ex-husband. They have stayed in good relations so perhaps but different situations.
 
Is it common for an ex-wife to attend her ex-husband's wedding?
 
Not sure if it is common, but there are others who have attended ex's weddings. For instance Penny Mountbatten attended her ex-husband Ivar's wedding to his new male partner, and if I remember correctly she actually gave him away. Literally and figuratively I guess.
 
If the wedding is large with quite a few guests invited I can see Autumn attending. They all seem close enough for everyone to be comfortable with her being one of a hundred of so guests (and the girls will presumably have a role in the wedding).
If its a small, "family only" type thing then I don't think Autumn would attend.
 
I think that given the situation the Royal Family is currently going through, because of Andrew's scandals, the wedding will probably be small. It will likely be a more family-oriented event in Windsor with relatives and close friends. Will the wedding be in the summer? If it were spring, I think we would already know a date.
 
Blog Real said:
I think that given the situation the Royal Family is currently going through, because of Andrew's scandals, the wedding will probably be small. It will likely be a more family-oriented event in Windsor with relatives and close friends. Will the wedding be in the summer? If it were spring, I think we would already know a date.
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I agree, the current situation will impact on their wedding. It is a shame if they are unable to have the day of their choosing.
There will be accusations of diverting attention away from the scandal.
 
tommy100 said:
I can Autumn attending if it takes place in Gloucester where they all live. If they go for a very small family wedding at say Balmoral or Windsor I think it is less likely.
Click to expand...
I didn't know Autumn was still in UK? For some reason I thought she might be back in canada but I forgot her daughters were in uk so she'd have to stay in the same country to co-parent.
 
The one thing that puts me off thinking it will be a Windsor wedding is that is were Peter and Autumn married. Having a whole range of choices of where to marry picking the same place of your first wedding seems an odd choice to me.
Autumn is indeed still in the UK as her daughters are in school in the UK and her new partner is based in the UK. She has been seen on a number of occasions at events in the UK involving Peter's immediate family.

Edit - just had a glance and Sandringham House is closed 20th-23rd August. The flower show is end of July and likely why it is also listed as being closed 19th-28th July but I'm not aware of it closing for a weekend in August usually. That could well be me putting 2+2 together and making 19 but just an observation.

2nd edit - seems Eric Clapton is playing a concert at Sandringham on 23rd so probably that.
 
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Surely if the couple wanted complete privacy in a nice setting Gatcombe Park in the late summer would be an ideal spot. If the couple really wanted a church wedding (which I don’t feel they do) then something like the chapel at St James’s Palace would be very private, though the question of a nearby reception afterwards might complicate things. So my guess is Gatcombe with a party afterwards for family and close friends.
 
Couldn't they marry at the Royal Chapel in Windsor that is near Royal Lodge? Or might the desire be to stay as far away from that building as possible right now given the headlines?
 
Yeah, I did think if they married at Windsor they would use the Royal Chapel of All Saints, it gives them a Windsor location but is smaller so perhaps more in keeping with a second wedding. However, it is literally opposite the front door of Royal Lodge so I would imagine it wouldn't be the most desirable location to use atm.

Whilst Peter's first wedding was at Windsor, if they marry in holiday time (the summer) the King wouldn't be in residence anyway and I suspect Peter has more (if not at the least just as much) of a connection to Sandringham and Balmoral than he does Windsor.
 
Marrying in Scotland might be the better idea. The Church of Scotland allows the marriage of divorcees - which was why Princess Anne married Sir Tim in Scotland. Although the Church of England now does allow the marriage of divorcees, it is still problematic to some people. Although Harry and Meghan had a church wedding, I think on balance that a service of blessing [like Charles and Camilla had] following a civil marriage would have been better. […]Peter and Harriet are both divorcees and so I think that the Church of Scotland is the better option. It would certainly help to make it all 'less public]. late Autumn would be an ideal time because of school holidays etc.
 
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100% - which is why I'm still thinking they'll follow Zara and Anne and marry in Scotland during the royal family's summer break. Whether they do it at Balmoral or somewhere else.
 
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Whether you suppose that which couple marry first: they or Lady Marina Windsor and Nico Macaulay?
 
If they marry in a church at all i can see them staying away from the traditional locations of London and Windsor.

A wedding in the middle of big and noisy central London is not what i imagine the countryside-man Peter Phillips would like… And a wedding in Windsor would practically be a repeat of his first wedding…

If they still would like to have a party at one of the royal palaces they’d have Kew Palace (with nearby St Anne’s), Hampton Court Palace (with its own big chapel), Sandringham House (with nearby St Mary Magdalene’s or St Peter’s Wolferton), and in Scotland they would have Palace of Holyroodhouse (with nearby Canongate Kirk where Zara married), and Balmoral (with nearby Crathie Kirk and perhaps Glenmuick Church in Ballater).

There is also the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Tetbury, close to both Gatcombe Park and Highgrove House, wich may be an option if they want to have a wedding closer to home, and The King and Queen to attend…

There is ofcourse also the possibility of only a civil wedding or just an engagement without a wedding as that is how many people lives today…
 
carlota said:
I didn't know Autumn was still in UK? For some reason I thought she might be back in canada but I forgot her daughters were in uk so she'd have to stay in the same country to co-parent.
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Lived in the UK for 11 years before they divorced. Even if it wasn't for their daughters, she has built a life in the UK. Been over 13 years since she lived in Canada when they divorced. Going back after that long would not be an easy transition. She has been also been dating a British land developer for 5 years.

[…]
Balmoral would make some sense as following mom and sister. If the king is willing. But some where near Gatcombe seems the most likely to me.
 
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Here are the Church of England regulations and guidance on remarriage after divorce (since November 2002):

www.churchofengland.org

Supplementary material | The Church of England

Supplementary material to the Canons of the Church of England.
www.churchofengland.org www.churchofengland.org

Excerpts:

"In July 2002, the General Synod resolved:

'[…] ii) That there are exceptional circumstances in which a divorced person may be married in church during the lifetime of a former spouse;

c) Recognize that the decision as to whether or not to solemnize such a marriage in church after divorce rests with the minister (or officiating cleric if the minister is prepared to allow his/her church or chapel to be used for the marriage) [...]'"

Advice to the clergy

[…]

2.1 The responsibility for deciding whether or not to conduct a further marriage rests with you both for pastoral and legal reasons. […]

3.1 […] You may find it helpful to that end, in the course of your interview with the couple, to satisfy yourself in relation to the following questions, which are intended to draw out issues relevant to the Church's teaching:

(a) Do the applicants have a clear understanding of the meaning and purpose of marriage?

[…]

(b) Do the applicants have a mature view of the circumstances of the breakdown of the previous marriage and are they ready to enter wholeheartedly and responsibly into a new relationship?

[…]

(c) Has there been sufficient healing of the personal and social wounds of marriage breakdown?

[…]

(d) Would the effects of the proposed marriage on individuals, the wider community and the Church be such as to undermine the credibility of the Church's witness to marriage?

[...]

(e) Would permitting the new marriage be tantamount to consecrating an old infidelity?
[…]

(f) Has either of the parties been divorced more than once?

[...]

(g) Do the applicants display a readiness to explore the significance of the Christian faith for their lives so that their further marriage is not an isolated contact with the Church?
Click to expand...
 
Curryong said:
Surely if the couple wanted complete privacy in a nice setting Gatcombe Park in the late summer would be an ideal spot. If the couple really wanted a church wedding (which I don’t feel they do) then something like the chapel at St James’s Palace would be very private, though the question of a nearby reception afterwards might complicate things. So my guess is Gatcombe with a party afterwards for family and close friends.
Click to expand...
My guess is that it will be a very low key ceremony and I'm not sure of Peter or Harriet are religious and could be a registry office ceremony.
 
If they had the wedding at Gatcombe then it would have to be registered for weddings and then opened to the public to hire for their weddings a set number of days - this is the reason why Charles and Camilla couldn't marry in Windsor Castle itself as they originally planned.
That said, they could have the service at a nearby church - Zara's girls were christened at one nearby. Security would potentially be an issue though, especially if the date was known by the media well in advance.
 
tommy100 said:
If they had the wedding at Gatcombe then it would have to be registered for weddings and then opened to the public to hire for their weddings a set number of days - this is the reason why Charles and Camilla couldn't marry in Windsor Castle itself as they originally planned.
That said, they could have the service at a nearby church - Zara's girls were christened at one nearby. Security would potentially be an issue though, especially if the date was known by the media well in advance.
Click to expand...
Wasn't one of Peters daughters christened at a Church close to Gatcombe?
 
Having the reception/party at or around Gatcombe would be ideal if they want The King and Queen and the Waleses to attend as Gatcombe is close to Highgrove so they won’t have to be put up in hotels somewhere…

I have no idea wether Peter and/or Harriet views themselves as religious or non-religious so i won’t have an opinion on that…

For me personally i think the solution Charles and Camilla choosed with a civil wedding at the registry office, followed by a blessing service at the church, is an ideal solution when neither part is in their first marriage…
 
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