Will it be an awkward start to married life for Peter and Harriet?,
When Peter Phillips and his bride-to-be, Harriet Sperling, arrived at the Cheltenham Festival for a day of good old-fashioned fun last month, they were immediately thrust into an awkward situation.
Peter’s former wife, Autumn Phillips, turned up at the racing meet just moments later, arm-in-arm with her property tycoon boyfriend, Donal Mulryan.
Seeing your partner’s former wife at social events is a reality most would go to great lengths to avoid – but for Princess Anne’s soon-to-be daughter-in-law, it will be a common occurrence.
Despite divorcing Peter in 2019, Autumn has remained close to the royals and resided at Anne’s Gatcombe Estate for some time after the split, in the interests of their daughters, Savannah, 15, and Isla, 14.
Now, the family of four will welcome two others: Harriet, 45, and her daughter, Georgia, who was born in 2012.
News of Peter and his NHS nurse fiancée’s wedding date broke yesterday: the couple of two years, will tie the knot in a private ceremony at All Saints Church in Kemble, Cirencester, on June 6, with the King and Queen and the Prince and Princess of Wales informed of the announcement.
Alongside co-parenting their teenagers, devout Christian Harriet and Autumn will also run in similar social circles and frequent the same events.
Anne, for instance, revealed her enduring bond with her former daughter-in-law Autumn in April 2025 at the Cirencester Horse Trials, where the pair were seen chatting and supporting Zara Tindall.
‘It was just nice and relaxed,’ royal photographer James Whatling told Hello! magazine.
‘Zara had a group of pals and grooms with her. Autumn was there, which was nice to see. She’s obviously still part of the family and was chatting to Anne and everyone else.
‘She’s certainly not been ostracised in any way, and it was a nice little support team for Zara.’
Autumn has since found love with Monaco-based Donal, who set up real estate investment firm Rockwell, just weeks after her divorce from Peter was finalised in June 2021.
When their romance first came to light, the pair were said to have made ‘no secret of their relationship’ – despite Donal still being wedded to his socialite wife, Louise Mulryan, at the time. It is unclear whether the pair are still married.
Donal, who has worked in the property industry for 25 years, also helped found West Properties, focusing on high-end development projects, in 2002 and real estate investment firm Rockwell in 2015.
Montreal-born Autumn was a management consultant when she met Phillips at the 2003 Canadian Grand Prix.
At the time, he was working for the Williams Formula 1 team. She is said not to have known until six weeks later, when she saw him on television, that he was the Queen’s grandson.
She then moved to Britain and married Phillips in 2008 in a ceremony at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, which sparked controversy after the couple sold the photographic rights to Hello! magazine for a reported £500,000.
The couple lived on Anne’s Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire with their two daughters, Savannah, who was the Queen’s first great-grandchild, and Isla.
However, they began living apart after their estrangement in 2019.
Peter said it was ‘the best course of action for their two children and ongoing friendship’.
A statement, released by a spokesperson on behalf of the couple at the time, said: ‘Mr Peter Phillips and Mrs Autumn Phillips are pleased to be able to report that the financial aspects of their divorce have been resolved through agreement, the terms of which have been approved and ordered by the High Court today.
‘Whilst this is a sad day for Peter and Autumn, they continue to put the wellbeing of their wonderful daughters Savannah and Isla first and foremost.
‘Both Peter and Autumn are pleased to have resolved matters amicably with the children firmly at the forefront of those thoughts and decisions.
‘Peter and Autumn have requested privacy and consideration for their children as the family adapts to a new chapter in their lives.’
The breakdown of Autumn and Peter’s marriage was considered as particularly painful for the Queen, who enjoyed a close relationship with her grandson’s wife.
Peter and Harriet, who have been dating since May 2024, officially announced their engagement in July.
Peter, 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 1946 ring.
For royal biographer 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’.
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 life as a single parent was difficult but had found comfort after turning to her faith.
According to an online bio, Harriet lives in Gloucestershire and works as a paediatric nurse specialist for the NHS.
She is ‘passionate about early brain development in babies and seeing children thrive’, the bio notes.
In 2010, Harriet was a key member of a team of medics, doctors and clinicians who helped save the life of a critically ill baby, named Phineas, after he was struck down by a deadly virus at just three weeks old.
She has been warmly welcomed by the Royal Family over the past two years, seen over the summer laughing with King Charles at Ascot after she travelled in the official carriage procession with senior royals.
