Weddings often follow the timeless tradition of including “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.” However, the upcoming nuptials of Princess Anne’s son, Peter Phillips, will take a unique approach to this custom by revisiting a piece of his past.
In an unexpected twist, Peter Phillips has chosen to bring back the party planners from his first wedding in 2008 for his forthcoming ceremony. Next Saturday, Peter will exchange vows with NHS nurse Harriet Sperling in a private event at All Saints Church, nestled in the quaint Gloucestershire village of Kemble.
The celebration will extend beyond the church walls, with a reception held at Gatcombe Park, the family estate, where guests—including the King and Queen—will gather to toast the newlyweds.
Tasked with orchestrating the day’s festivities is Bentley’s Entertainments, a renowned firm with an impressive portfolio. Known for managing high-profile events like David and Victoria Beckham’s wedding, several lavish parties for Sir Elton John, and Princess Eugenie’s Windsor wedding to Jack Brooksbank, Bentley’s also coordinated Peter Phillips’ original wedding to Autumn Kelly in 2008.
In preparation for the occasion, the company has arranged for several road closures to ensure everything runs smoothly. Despite the buzz surrounding the event, Bentley’s Entertainments has chosen to remain tight-lipped about the specifics, keeping the details under wraps for now.
The company has requested a number of road closures on the day but declined to comment on the event yesterday.
Bentley’s was founded 35 years ago by event planner to the stars Peregrine Armstrong-Jones, the half brother of Anthony Armstrong-Jones who was married to Princess Margaret.
In 2008 when he married for the first time, at Windsor, there was considerable controversy as Phillips sold the event to Hello! magazine for a reported £500,000.
Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips and NHS nurse Harriet Sperling, pictured in the Royal Box at Wimbledon’s Centre Court last year, will be married next weekend
All Saints Church in Kemble, Gloucestershire, where the couple will tie the knot. Mr Phillips has hired the same party planners who worked on his first wedding in 2008
It led to his grandmother, HM The Queen being pictured in its pages ‘like a footballer’s wife’ as one commentator thundered.
This time around there is no magazine deal at all. Sources indicate that everyone wants to tread very carefully when it comes to being seen to commercially exploit Royal status, and that the landscape has changed particularly since Megxit and the money-spinning activities of Prince Harry and Meghan.
‘A magazine deal is out of the question as the issue is now very sensitive,’ says a source.
Prince Harry is understood not to have been invited as he and his cousin have not been close for some time.
Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, the daughters of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, the former Prince Andrew, have however been invited and it is thought that they will attend.
Their parents, whose links with the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein have caused a crisis for the Royal family, are not invited.
Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling have been together since May 2024. Mr Phillips, 48, nephew of King Charles and 19th in line to the throne, married Montreal-born Autumn Kelly in 2008. They had two daughters – Savannah, 15, and Isla, 13 – but split in 2019.
Fellow divorcee Ms Sperling, 45, has a daughter, Georgina, 13, from her first marriage.
Mr Phillips popped the question last summer with a ring boasting a subtle tribute to his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, having been designed by the same jeweller behind her 1946 band.
Ms Sperling has been warmly welcomed by the royals and was seen laughing with King Charles at Ascot last year after travelling in the official carriage procession.
Peter Phillips is not styled HRH after his mother, Princess Anne, declined the honour for himself and his sister Zara.
Zara has previously done a number of deals with Hello! magazine and in 2020 Phillips made an advert for Jersey milk in which he was seen accepting a drink from a butler, apparently in a palace.
Phillips has worked in corporate hospitality and sponsorship management and is also the landlord of a series of shops, small businesses, bars and restaurants in Bath.
He is also a director of Maritime Passport Ltd, a business specialising in digitising shipping certifications. He has a degree in Sports Science from Exeter University.
