Celebrity
Peter Phillips, Autumn Kelly wedding: A look back ahead of Princess Anne’s second marriage to Harriet Sperling
In a few weeks, the late Queen Elizabeth’s eldest grandchild, Peter Phillips, will do just that getting married for the second time as he walks down the aisle with his fiancée Harriet Sperling at a private ceremony in the Cotswolds community of Cirencester.
All Saints Church was chosen for its proximity to Gatcombe Park, the estate where his mother Anne lived Princess Royal has lived for 50 years, and where Phillips and Sperling currently live.
The service will be in stark contrast to Phillips’ 2008 wedding to his first wife Autumn Kellywhich caused huge controversy over their decision to sell photos from the big day.
Peter Phillips was born on November 15, 1977 Princess Anne and her then-husband, Mark Phillips. He was the couple’s first child and the first grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, then Duke of Edinburgh.
Fifth in line to the British throne, his birth was greeted with a 41-gun salute from the Tower of London, while his baptism was performed a month later by the Archbishop of Canterbury in the music room of Buckingham Palace.
His parents famously refused the offer of a title for their son, who followed in the footsteps of his grandfather and uncle, King Charles, by attending the tough Scottish boarding school Gordonstoun.
After university he worked in a number of jobs, including as a sponsorship account manager for the Williams Formula 1 team.
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First meeting
Phillips was in Montreal for the 2003 Canadian Grand Prix when he met Autumn Kelly
The 25-year-old Canadian worked as a promotional model in the BMW suite and Phillips was said to be smitten and allegedly asked for her phone number and email address.
She had just taken a job in England and claimed she only knew he was the Queen’s grandson six weeks later when she saw a documentary on TV.
The couple dated before moving in together to an apartment in Kensington, London, and later to a cottage on the Gatcombe Park estate.
In 2005, she was photographed watching his sister Zara take part in a horse riding competition with Princess Anne.
Somewhat unusually, Autumn was invited to royal events, including Queen Elizabeth’s 80th birthday private party held at The Ritz London on December 5, 2006.
Announcement of engagement
Their engagement was announced by Buckingham Palace on July 30, 2007.
“The Princess Royal and Captain Mark Phillips are pleased to announce the engagement of their son Peter Phillips to Autumn, daughter of Mr Brian and Mrs Kitty Kelly.”
A few days later, they posed for photos with her engagement ring on display. It featured a central oval diamond flanked by smaller diamonds and set in platinum.
British laws meant that the Queen had to give her blessing before the couple could marry. Kelly, a Catholic, also converted to the Church of England before their wedding day.
Wedding day
Traditionally, the couple spent the night before the wedding apart. Kelly spent the night at Windsor Castle, while Phillips stayed with his uncle Prince Edward and his wife Sophie at their sprawling home, Bagshot Park.
They married on May 17, 2008 at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.
Three hundred guests, including the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, attended the wedding Hello!, that covered the big day.
The groom’s mother, Princess Anne, and her husband Timothy Laurence were of course there.
That included King Charles and his wife Camilla, who were then known as the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, Zara Phillips’ then-boyfriend Mike Tindall, Prince Harry, who was accompanied by then-girlfriend Chelsy Davy, as well as Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and their father, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Prince William was unable to attend, but his then-girlfriend Kate Middleton was there
About 70 members of the bride’s family flew in to watch the couple walk down the aisle.
Kelly’s wedding dress, consisting of a fitted bodice made of hand-beaded lace, a silk duchess skirt and a shrug of French lace with beading, was created by British designer Sassi Holford.
Her look was completed by a tiara loaned to her by her new mother-in-law, Princess Anne. The Festoon tiara was given to Anne on her 23rd birthday by the World Wide Shipping Group and featured diamonds set in platinum.
She also wore a pearl and diamond necklace that the groom had bought for her and which was sent to her the night before the wedding at Windsor Castle.
She was supported by bridesmaids and flower girls, decked out in pistachio green strapless dresses by American designer Vera Wang. The groom’s sister, Zara, was one of her escorts.
Kelly told the same publication that she was initially “afraid to walk down the aisle.”
“But when I got to the top of the stairs and saw how many of our friends and family had come to support us, I wasn’t scared anymore and I really enjoyed it,” she said.
After the ceremony, the newlyweds rode in an open carriage to the nearby Frogmore House for the official photos and wedding reception.
Public outrage
Their perfect wedding day was soon the subject of public outrage Hello! published a 100-page spread as part of a deal reportedly worth $935,000.
The private nature of some of the 59 photos, including 10 photos of the Queen, angered the palace and the Queen herself, who was reportedly furious after being “blindsided” by the reporting.
Royal expert Simon Vigar said this in the 2024 documentary Meghan: Where did it all go wrong? cameras were generally not allowed inside royal weddings.
“So what happened at Peter and Autumn’s wedding is controversial and unusual. It went down like a lead balloon with many members of the royal family,” he said.
The mirror columnist Susie Boniface told Channel 5: “They thought these were just photographers at a wedding and posed happily and grinned away, and were quite surprised a few weeks later when they saw a photo Hello! Sadditional entirely dedicated to things they thought were private family photos.”
The Telegraph reported that the late queen had not been consulted about the magazine deal, which was ridiculed in the press. A British MP, Ian Gibson, even said of the Queen’s inclusion in the spread: “She is the Queen, not a footballer’s wife”.
As a result, the Queen reportedly banned other members of the royal family from agreeing to such a deal in the future.
The couple received no titles upon their marriage and returned to work, even living in Hong Kong for a while.
They returned to England ahead of the birth of their first child, Savannah Anne Kathleen, on December 20, 2010. She was the first great-grandchild of the Queen and Prince Philip.
Her younger sister, Isla Elizabeth, was born on March 29, 2012.
The couple did not perform royal duties, but attended many royal events such as Trooping the Color and the annual Christmas Day at Sandringham.
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In 2019, rumors swirled that the couple had split, and early reports indicated that it was Autumn who wanted out of the union.
In February 2020, they announced in a statement that they were divorcing and that they would continue to co-parent their children, who were nine and seven years old at the time.
According to the BBC, the Queen and other members of the royal family were informed of their decision last year.
Their divorce was finalized in the Supreme Court on June 14, 2021. A spokesperson for the former couple said at the time: “While this is a sad day for Peter and Autumn, they continue to put the wellbeing and education of their wonderful daughters Savannah and Isla first.
“Both Peter and Autumn are pleased that they have resolved matters amicably, with the children firmly at the forefront of those thoughts and decisions.”
Phillips, 48, who is a director of boutique sports management company SEL UK, and has other business interests, has since found love with Harriet Sperling, a pediatric nurse specialist who has one daughter, Georgia, from her previous marriage to Antonio St John Sperling, a fitness instructor.
Phillips and Sperling, 45, are said to have met through their children at a sporting event in early 2024.
Their engagement was announced in August 2025.
“Mr Peter Phillips, son of HRH The Princess Royal and Captain Mark Phillips, and Mrs Harriet Sperling, daughter of the late Mr Rupert Sanders and Mrs Mary Sanders of Gloucestershire, have today confirmed their official engagement,” a statement said.
“Both families were jointly informed of the announcement and were delighted with the wonderful news of their engagement. Their Majesties the King and Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales have been informed of the announcement.”
Their wedding date and location were only announced a month ago.
Kelly has also moved on with Irish-born Donal Mulryan, who runs a London-based property development and construction company he founded in 2015.
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