Preparations for Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling’s royal wedding are in full swing as florists were seen hard at work today outside the Cotswolds church where the couple will say ‘I do’.
The 48-year-old son of Princess Anne is set to wed his NHS nurse fiancĂ©e, 45, tomorrow at Gloucestershire’s All Saints Church in what insiders have described as an intimate but deeply significant affair.
Images showed a team of florists overseeing deliveries of long-stemmed white and pink flowers after crew members were spotted working tirelessly to set up the venue.
The festivities are being overseen by blue-chip firm Bentley’s Entertainments, the royal-approved wedding planners behind Peter’s first wedding to Autumn Kelly, as well as his sister Zara Tindall‘s nuptials with Mike Tindall in 2011.
Pictures showed members of the team assembling a mixture of foxgloves, Canterbury bells, lupins, and a selection of English roses, while police officers secured the perimeter around the church, which dates back to the 11th century.
These images suggest that the couple may be opting for a more minimalist and all-foliage wedding, with a focus on greenery rather than traditional flowers, as trucks full of large, verdant plants were seen arriving at the venue.
It comes after crew members were spotted carrying large urns and decorations yesterday into the church in Kemble, the sleepy Cotswolds village set to host the toast of high society and the royal family.
Among those expected to attend the all-important event are King Charles and Queen Camilla, alongside Peter’s mother, Princess Anne and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Lawrence.
Preparations for Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling’s royal wedding are in full swing as florists were today seen hard at work outside the Cotswolds church where the couple will say ‘I do’
The bride and groom-to-be, Peter and NHS nurse Harriet
Also expected at the ceremony are the Prince and Princess of Wales, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
However, Peter’s cousin Prince Harry – who lives in Montecito, California, with his wife Meghan Markle – will be notably absent.
A friend close to The Princess Royal’s son said: ‘Peter and Harry havenât spoken for several years and have simply lost touch, so he hasnât been invited.’
‘Peter and Harriet’s wedding is an intimate occasion with their close friends and immediate family around them in the Cotswolds. Itâs an area where they grew up and is very special to them both,’ a pal said.
Peter’s sister Zara and her husband Mike will also be present at the celebrations, along with the daughters of disgraced former prince Andrew, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
Fans can also likely count on the groom’s lesser-known half-sister, Stephanie Phillips, to attend the ceremony at All Saints‘ Church in Kemble, Gloucestershire.
Stephanie is the daughter of Princess Anne’s first husband, Captain Mark Phillips and his Hawaiian-born second wife, Sandy Pflueger. The American equestrian was married to Mark from 1997 until 2012, when the pair parted ways.
Married to William Hosier, an agricultural graduate, it is believed Stephanie, 28, enjoys a close relationship with both Peter and Zara.
Following the private ceremony, guests will toast to the happy couple at a reception hosted by the groom’s family at Gatcombe Park.
The man behind tomorrow’s royal wedding is Peregrine Armstrong-Jones, a well-connected party planner who also orchestrated the Windsor wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank.
Armstrong-Jonesâs firm, Bentleyâs Entertainments, boasts âa client list that encompasses royalty, Hollywood A-listers and respected professionals from all over the worldâ, according to its website â including Sir Elton John and Prince Albert of Monaco.
Launched in 1984, it has also organised the nuptials of Zara and Mike Tindall, Autumn and Peter Phillips, and Petra Ecclestone and James Stunt.
Peter, 48, and Harriet, 45, officially announced their engagement in August last year after first being linked in May 2024.
The venue is being transformed with floral arrangements
Pictures showed members of the team assembling a mixture of foxgloves, Canterbury bells, lupins, and a selection of English roses
These images suggest that the couple may be opting for a more minimalist and all-foliage wedding, with a focus on greenery rather than traditional flowers, as trucks full of large, verdant plants were seen arriving at the venue
A crew member unloading a truck outside the church
Crew members from Bentley’s Entertainments, which is planning the wedding, oversee the arrivals of flowers
Police officers secured the perimeter around the church, which dates back to the 11th century, ahead of tomorrow’s royal wedding
In a statement to announce the joyous news, they said both families were ‘delighted’.
Fellow divorcee Harriet, who shares a 13-year-old daughter, Georgina, from her first marriage, boasts wealthy connections, sharing a relation to the Duke of Gloucester through her late father, Rupert Sperling.
Peter, who is 19th in the line of succession, popped the question with a sparkling ring which boasts a subtle but touching tribute to his beloved grandmother – the late Queen Elizabeth II – having been designed by the same jeweller behind her iconic 1946 ring.
For royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams, there is no doubt that Peter and Harriet’s wedding will be vastly different from his previous nuptials to Autumn Kelly that left the Royal Family ‘bewildered’.
Held at Windsor’s St George’s Chapel in 2008, the high-profile event saw 300 guests gather to celebrate the happy couple, including 70 members of Autumn’s family and even a young Kate Middleton.
But now, 17 years on, the day is often remembered for the highly intimate snapshot into the family life of the royals it provided, all thanks to a controversial deal the newlyweds signed with Hello! magazine.
As a £500,000 wedding present to the couple, Hello! were given exclusive rights to picture most of the ceremony including inside the chapel and the reception in Frogmore House.
This resulted in a 100-page exclusive feature from the magazine, which included remarkably candid shots of the royals, including images of the family laughing and one photo of Prince Harry giving his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, a peck on the cheek.
They were a far cry from the traditionally stage-managed wedding photographs released by the Royal Family.
And the spread was not well received by the Firm, with senior members of the family – including the late Queen – allegedly less than impressed, having felt blindsided by the publication of the pictures.
A decorator was seen carrying a jardiniÚre into the venue
Despite the wet weather, crew have been working tirelessly to help set up for the event – carrying large urns, decorations and various plants into the church to begin setting up for the ceremony
hese new images suggest that the couple may be opting for a more minimalist and all-foliage wedding, with a focus on greenery rather than traditional flowers
Buckingham Palace released a statement shortly afterwards claiming that the deal was a ‘serious error of judgement.’
Even politicians at the time also chimed in, with Labour MP Ian Gibson claiming the British public would be shocked to see their monarch in those pages.
The pair later welcomed daughters Savannah, now 15, and Isla, 13, before separating in 2019. Their divorce was finalised in 2021.
However, Peter has since found love with Harriet, who quickly become a familiar and warmly received face within royal circles.
Last summer she was seen laughing alongside the King at Royal Ascot after joining members of the Royal Family in the official carriage procession – a strong sign of how accepted she has become within the Firm.
Harriet herself is known for having strong religious roots – having previously shared how she took great strength from her Christian faith as she battled through the early years of single parenthood when ‘resources were scarce and the future was uncertain.’
In an interview in 2009, she revealed that her ‘faith was always in me, but it was kind of dormant’.
She added: ‘Somehow it didn’t seem relevant to my life in London. But the end of a seven-year relationship was the turning point for me. I went to church as I felt there was something missing.’
In a piece written for Christian magazine Woman Alive last year, she also admitted that she’d often found life as a single parent difficult, but found comfort after turning to her faith.
She said: ‘In the earlier years of my journey as a single mother to my daughter, resources were scarce, and the future was uncertain. Yet, in the absence of material security, I discovered the strength and life that comes from true selfless love. A love that is able to be solely devoted to your child.
‘My daughter and I journeyed 10 years with only each other. I liken us to an island and it has often felt hard to imagine anyone joining that island.
‘But of course beauty comes from relationships, relationship with our maker and relationship with each other. It is often tough parenting alone but although there is a stigma to endure, God is able to step in and turn it for good.’
