Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling are set to marry on June 6 in a private church ceremony in the Cotswolds, making the occasion a notable one for followers of the British royal family.
Phillips, the son of Princess Anne and the late Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest grandchild, is marrying Sperling in what has been described in magazine reporting as an intimate ceremony rather than a large royal occasion. The wedding is expected to be the second marriage for both.
Much of the attention around the event has centered less on the ceremony itself and more on the guest list: which relatives are expected to be there, which names have been reported as absent, and how much of the list has actually been confirmed.
What Is Confirmed About the Wedding
The clearest details are the basics. Phillips and Sperling are due to marry on June 6 at All Saints’ Church in Kemble, near Cirencester. The setting points to a private Cotswolds wedding rather than a full-scale public royal event.
Phillips is 48 and is the son of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips. He was previously married to Autumn Kelly, with whom he shares two daughters, Savannah and Isla. Sperling has also been married before and has a daughter from her first marriage.
The couple’s wedding has been framed as a close-family occasion. That description matters because it helps explain why the reporting around the guest list has been cautious. A private ceremony does not come with the same level of public confirmation as a state occasion, palace event, or televised royal wedding.
Which Royals Are Expected, and What Remains Unconfirmed
Because the guest list has not been publicly released in full, the safest way to describe attendance is as reported or expected, not confirmed.
Princess Anne would be among the most closely watched possible attendees, given that she is Phillips’ mother. Reporting has also pointed to the likely presence of close family members from both sides, including children from the couple’s previous marriages. Those details, however, should be treated as expectations rather than verified attendance until the wedding takes place or representatives confirm them.
Zara Tindall, Phillips’ sister, has also been discussed as a likely attendee, along with her husband, Mike Tindall. Other relatives named in coverage include Captain Mark Phillips, Phillips’ father, and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, Princess Anne’s husband. Again, those names fit the close-family framing of the ceremony, but the full guest list has not been independently confirmed.
King Charles and Queen Camilla have been discussed in connection with the wedding because of Phillips’ place in the royal family. Their schedule has also drawn attention because Derby Day at Epsom Downs falls on the same date. Reports have suggested a possible scheduling conflict, but a firm timeline for their attendance at both events has not been publicly confirmed.
Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, have also been named in reporting as expected guests. Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, have been mentioned as possible attendees as well. As with the other expected names, those reports should be read as guest-list expectations rather than a confirmed roll call.
Prince Harry’s Reported Absence
Prince Harry’s name has become one of the most discussed parts of the wedding coverage. Reporting has said he was not invited to the ceremony, with the explanation attributed to a friend of the couple who said Phillips and Harry had not been in contact for several years.
That account has not been independently verified in full, and representatives cited in the source material did not provide additional comment. The careful version is this: Prince Harry has been reported as absent from the invitation list, but the precise private reasoning should not be treated as confirmed beyond what has been attributed in those reports.
The discussion fits into a broader public narrative about Harry’s distance from parts of the royal family. Still, this wedding is a private family event, and the reporting does not support turning one guest-list decision into a definitive statement about every relationship inside the family.
Andrew and Sarah Ferguson Were Also Reported Absent
The former Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson were also reported as not being among the invited guests. Coverage framed their potential presence as a possible distraction because of renewed attention on their connections to Jeffrey Epstein.
That part of the reporting should be handled carefully. The source material included claims about legal issues and scrutiny, but the most reliable takeaway for this article is narrower: Andrew and Ferguson have been reported as absent from the invitation list, and their names have drawn attention because of the public controversy surrounding them.
Their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, have been mentioned separately in coverage of the wedding. The source material suggested they could attend, but attendance has not been confirmed in a way that should be stated as settled fact before the ceremony.
Why the Guest List Is Getting So Much Attention
Phillips does not hold a royal title, but his position in the family makes the wedding unusually visible. He is Princess Anne’s son, Zara Tindall’s brother, and the late Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest grandchild. That family placement naturally turns even a private ceremony into a matter of public curiosity.
The guest-list interest also comes from timing. The wedding arrives after several years in which royal family relationships have been heavily scrutinized, especially around Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and around Andrew’s public standing. A smaller wedding can therefore attract outsized attention when certain names are said to be missing.
For readers, the key distinction is between confirmed facts and reported expectations. The date, location and family context are the firmest parts of the story. Attendance details are more conditional, particularly where they rely on unnamed friends or advance reporting rather than public confirmation from the people involved.
The Bottom Line
Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling’s wedding is expected to be a private Cotswolds ceremony with close family at the center. The event is notable because of Phillips’ royal connections, but it is not being presented as a large public royal wedding.
Several royal relatives have been reported as likely attendees, while Prince Harry, Andrew and Sarah Ferguson have been reported as absent from the guest list. Because the full list has not been publicly confirmed, those details are best read as reported expectations rather than final facts.
The most useful way to understand the story is simple: the couple appear to be planning a small second wedding, while public attention has focused on what the guest list may reveal about the royal family’s private relationships.