In a remarkable turn of events that has captivated the British public, King Charles’s nephew, Peter Phillips, married NHS paediatric nurse Harriet Sperling in a private ceremony in Gloucestershire on June 6, 2026. The bride, a dedicated paediatric nurse and single mother, has now joined one of the world’s most famous families, marking a modern fairy tale for the 45-year-old from Gloucestershire.
Born Harriet Eleanor Sanders in 1980, she grew up as the third of four children to solicitor Rupert Sanders and Mary Hoskins. Her father, a long-standing churchwarden, passed away in 2023, while her mother continues to serve in the ministry team at their local church in South Cerney, Gloucestershire. Harriet has one brother, Nicholas, and two sisters, Louisa and Rebecca. She attended the Christian Dean Close School in Cheltenham before studying at St Mary’s University in Twickenham, later becoming a paediatric nurse specialist for the NHS. Her strong Christian faith has been a cornerstone of her life, one she has openly discussed as a source of strength during her years as a single parent.
Harriet Sperling: First Marriage, Daughter, and Family Life
Harriet was previously married to fitness instructor Antonio “Dino” St John Sperling, a union that lasted just a few years before ending in divorce. The couple has a daughter, Georgina, who was born around 2012 and is now 13 years old.
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Little public information is available about her first husband, who has worked as a fitness instructor and was a director of a Crossfit company in the early 2010s. While Harriet has been vocal about the challenges of single parenthood, her ex-husband has largely remained out of the spotlight and was not invited to her wedding to Peter Phillips.
A Blended Royal Family with Peter Phillips
Queen Elizabeth’s grandson Peter Phillips marries fiancée Harriet Sperling in fairytale wedding https://t.co/sOf89tQqbZ pic.twitter.com/4EHeqIGDeO
— New York Post (@nypost) June 6, 2026
Harriet Sperling and Peter Phillips reportedly met in spring 2024 at a sporting event involving their daughters, which proved to be the beginning of a whirlwind romance. The couple made their public debut at the Badminton Horse Trials in May 2024, where Harriet was warmly welcomed by Peter’s mother, Princess Anne, and other senior royals. Their engagement was announced in August 2025, with the royal family expressing their delight at the wonderful news.
The wedding ceremony at All Saints Church in Kemble was attended by King Charles and Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and other members of the royal family. Harriet was walked down the aisle by her brother Nicholas, in honour of their late father.
The couple now form a modern blended family: Peter has two teenage daughters, Savannah (15) and Isla (14), from his first marriage to Autumn Kelly, which ended in divorce in 2021. Together with Harriet’s daughter Georgina, the three young bridesmaids helped the couple blend their families in the most joyful way.
