Princess Anne’s son, Peter Phillips, has announced his engagement to NHS pediatric nurse, Harriet Sperling. Princess Anne’s oldest son is marrying Sperling after a year of courtship.
Harriet Has Been Warmly Welcomed By The Royal Family
The couple said in a statement,
“Mr. Peter Phillips, the son of HRH The Princess Royal and Captain Mark Phillips, and Ms. Harriet Sperling, daughter of the late Mr. Rupert Sanders and Mrs. Mary Sanders of Gloucestershire, have today confirmed their official engagement.”
The statement continued,
“Both families were informed jointly 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. No date has been officially set for the wedding.”
The Royal Family has warmly welcomed Harriet over the past year. Princess Anne’s son and Harriet Sperling have both been married before.
Peter was married to Autumn Kelly, and Harriet to a fitness instructor. Peter and Autumn have two children together, Savannah and Isla. Harriet has one daughter named Georgia.
Their respective divorces are the reason why this upcoming royal occasion will look a bit different than a lavish affair.
It is tradition for the royal family to have a low-key wedding if the bride or groom has been married before. However, it will still be an all-out white wedding royal event.
Fortunately, the Anglican church has permitted the divorced to marry again in the church since 2002. Marrying a divorced person is a new concept for the royal family.
Divorcees Marrying Is A New Concept For The Royal Family
The practice of allowing divorced people to wed has only been happening in the past 20 years. Queen Elizabeth II’s uncle, King Edward, abdicated the throne in June 1937 so he could marry American divorcee and socialite Wallis Simpson.
Wallis Simpson was famously vilified by the public, press, and the royal family for King Edward’s decision to abdicate. His younger brother, Prince Albert, Duke of York, became King George in December 1936.
Similarly, when Princess Margaret wanted to marry divorced Peter Townsend, it was forbidden by the Church of England. In the end, the late Queen’s sister opted to end her engagement to Townsend in November 1955.
Margaret was famously plagued with regret on her deathbed for not marrying war hero Group Captain Peter Townsend.
King Charles and Queen Camilla chose to have a civil ceremony, since both have been married to other people and divorced.
That said, Peter Phillips isn’t a working royal, so he can basically do whatever he wants. He is 19th in line to the throne. Princess Anne never wanted her children to become working royals.
Royal expert, Phil Dampier, surmises that Peter and Harriet’s wedding will likely be a low-key affair. Several royal marriages have ended in divorce in recent times. There is no longer a stigma attached to being a divorcee.
Royal fans are also wondering if Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will attend Peter and Harriet’s upcoming nuptials. It is thought that Harry will show up without Meghan.
The first sign that Peter and Harriet’s relationship was serious was when they attended Royal Ascot this year in June, and Peter introduced her to King Charles.
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