Princess Anne’s Yellow Wedding Look Proves True Royal Style Never Dates

Jun 08, 2026 by apost team

On Saturday, June 6, 2026, Princess Anne's son Peter Phillips married Harriet Sperling in a private ceremony at All Saints Church in the Gloucestershire village of Kemble, near Cirencester — and from the moment the royal family began arriving, it was clear this was going to be a very different kind of royal wedding.

There was no procession down The Mall. No balcony appearance. No global broadcast. This was a quiet, intimate gathering in a country church surrounded by friends, family, and the kind of green English countryside that makes you understand why people leave London. It was also, for Princess Anne, a deeply personal milestone — watching her only son, Queen Elizabeth's eldest grandchild, marry for the second time.

Phillips, born Nov. 15, 1977, was previously married to Autumn Kelly, whom he wed in 2008 and separated from in 2020. Their divorce was finalized in 2021. They share two daughters, Savannah, 14, and Isla, 13. Harriet Sperling is an NHS pediatric nurse who also has a teenage daughter, Georgia, from a previous marriage. The couple are believed to have met at a sporting event involving their children. They went public as a couple in May 2024, announced their engagement in August 2025, and married less than a year later. 

Because both had been married before, they required special permission from the Church of England to marry in a church. Phillips proposed with a diamond ring by Pragnall, the British jeweler that made Queen Elizabeth's engagement ring in 1946.

Then there was what Princess Anne wore — and the story behind one particular accessory that stopped everyone in their tracks.

Princess Anne, born Aug. 15, 1950, arrived as the mother of the groom in a sunny yellow jacket layered over a red floral-print dress — a characteristically bold choice that Hello! Magazine described as "joyful country elegance." Yellow has long been a signature shade for the Princess Royal, and on this particular occasion it felt entirely fitting for a day of celebration in the English countryside.

But it was the hat that told the real story. Anne topped her outfit with a vintage yellow silk hat featuring a distinct brimmed bow — and it was not new. The hat had last been worn in 1981, to her daughter Zara Tindall's christening. Forty-five years later, she wore it again to watch her son get married. The detail drew an emotional response from those who caught its significance — a mother wearing a piece of her own family history to one of the most important days of her son's life.

Harriet Sperling wore a gown by British designer Rebecca Starr — a fitted dress with long sleeves and a sweeping train — paired with a veil and pearl earrings. Also present were King Charles III and Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and Zara Tindall and her husband Mike. The reception was understood to have been held privately at Gatcombe Park, Princess Anne's nearby country estate.

Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling shared their first kiss as husband and wife on the steps of All Saints Church, surrounded by family, as the rain fell lightly over Kemble. For a royal family that does not always get to celebrate quietly, it was exactly that — quiet, warm, and entirely theirs.

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Are you a fan of Princess Anne and her family? Do you think this low-key royal wedding is a refreshing change from the grandeur of larger royal events? Let us know in the comments and pass this on to your family, friends, and other royal fans out there!