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Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling tied the knot on Saturday but Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, were not present at All Saints Church in Kemble, Gloucestershire
Mirror readers debate whether Harry & Meghan should have attended royal wedding(Image: Getty Images)
Members of the Royal Family gathered in the picturesque countryside to celebrate the marriage of Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling on Saturday — but the absence of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was hard to ignore.
It is understood the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not invited to the wedding, which saw Peter, 48, the son of Princess Anne marry NHS nurse Harriet, 45, at an intimate gathering in a church. Senior royals, including King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate, were present.
The newlyweds looked elated as they emerged from the church as husband and wife, sharing smiles with guests after the ceremony. The couple, who began dating in 2024, later celebrated with family and friends close to Princess Anne’s Gatcombe Park estate.
The newlyweds looked elated as they emerged from the church as husband and wife(Image: Getty Images)
Unlike some royal weddings of the past, Peter and Harriet opted for a smaller, more intimate celebration. Both have been married before, with Peter divorcing Autumn Kelly in 2021 and Harriet previously separating from Antonio St John Sperling. While the guest list may have been scaled back, it has sparked questions over whether Harry and Meghan should have been included.
According to Hello!, the Duke of Sussex was not invited to the wedding despite previously sharing a close relationship with his cousin. The outlet reported that the pair have drifted apart in recent years following Harry’s move to the US.
A friend said to be close to the couple told the publication: “Peter and Harry haven’t spoken for several years and have simply lost touch, so he hasn’t been invited.”
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The reported snub comes as Harry’s relationship with much of the Royal Family remains fractured following years of public tensions.
However there was once a time when Harry and his older brother, Prince William were both close to Peter. However, the Daily Mail reports that Harry’s relationship with his cousin was damaged by events surrounding Peter’s first wedding to Autumn Kelly in 2008.
According to the newspaper, Peter’s decision to sell exclusive photographs from the wedding to Hello! magazine for a reported £500,000 upset Harry, who attended the ceremony with then-girlfriend Chelsy Davy.
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie joined the rest of the Royal Family for the first time in months (Image: Getty Images)
The Duke is said to have believed the photographer present was taking pictures for the couple’s private collection and was unaware the images would later appear in a magazine.
Whether that disagreement remains a factor nearly two decades later is unclear. However, the reported lack of contact between the cousins appears to have played a significant role in Harry’s absence from the celebrations.
Harry and Meghan were not the only notable names missing from the guest list. Understandably Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson were also not invited to the wedding. Andrew has largely withdrawn from public royal life following the fallout from his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Surprisingly, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie joined the rest of the Royal Family for the first time in months as they gather to celebrate the wedding of Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling. It is the first time they have been included in a large Royal Family gathering since the arrest of their father Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
As senior royals turning out in force for Peter’s big day, Harry’s absence once again highlighted the deep divisions that continue to exist within the Royal Family and while the Sussexes were thousands of miles away in California, their no-show is likely to reignite debate over whether enough time has passed for old family rifts to finally be put aside.
