Detail that angered late Queen at Peter Phillips' wedding to Autumn Kelly: 'Went down like a lead balloon'

In a few weeks' time, the late Queen Elizabeth's eldest grandchild, Peter Phillips, will marry for the second time when he walks down the aisle with fiancée Harriet Sperling in a private ceremony in the Cotswolds township of Cirencester.

The All Saints Church was chosen due to its close proximity to Gatcombe Park, the estate where his mother Anne, the Princess Royal has lived for 50 years, and where Phillips and Sperling also currently live.

The service will be in stark contrast to Phillips' 2008 wedding to first wife Autumn Kelly, which caused huge controversy over their decision to sell photos of the big day.

Peter Phillips was born on November 15, 1977, to Princess Anne and her then-husband, Mark Phillips. He was the couple's first child, and the first grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, then the Duke of Edinburgh.

As fifth in line to the British throne, his birth was met with a 41-gun salute from the Tower of London, while his baptism a month later was carried out by the Archbishop of Canterbury in the music room of Buckingham Palace.

His parents famously refused the offer of a title for their son, who followed in the footsteps of his grandfather and uncle, King Charles, by attending the tough Scottish boarding school Gordonstoun.

After university, he worked in a number of jobs, including as a sponsorship accounts manager for Williams Formula One team.

First meeting

Phillips was in Montreal for the 2003 Canadian Grand Prix when he met Autumn Kelly.

The 25-year-old Canadian was working as a promotional model in the BMW suite and Phillips was said to be smitten, reportedly asking for her phone number and email address.

She had just accepted a job in England, and claimed not to know he was the grandson of the Queen until six weeks later when she saw a documentary on TV.

The couple dated, before moving in together to an apartment in Kensington, London, and later to a cottage on the Gatcombe Park estate.

By 2005, she was photographed watching his sister Zara compete in a horse riding event alongside Princess Anne.

Somewhat unusually, Autumn was invited to royal events, including the private 80th birthday party for Queen Elizabeth held at The Ritz London on December 5, 2006.

Engagement announcement

Their engagement was announced by Buckingham Palace on July 30, 2007.

"The Princess Royal and Captain Mark Phillips are pleased to announce the engagement of their son Peter Phillips to Autumn, daughter of Mr Brian and Mrs Kitty Kelly."

A few days later, they posed for photos with her engagement ring on display. It featured a central oval diamond flanked by smaller diamonds and set in platinum.

British laws meant the Queen had to give her blessing before the couple could wed. Kelly, a Catholic, also converted to the Church of England before their wedding day.

Wedding day

As is tradition, the couple spent the night before the wedding apart. Kelly spent the night at Windsor Castle while Phillips stayed with his uncle Prince Edward, and his wife Sophie, at their sprawling home, Bagshot Park.

They married at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 17, 2008.

Three hundred guests, including the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, attended the nuptials, according to Hello!, which covered the big day.

The mother of the groom, Princess Anne, and her husband Timothy Laurence were there of course.

So too was King Charles, and his wife Camilla, who were then known as the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, Zara Phillips' then-boyfriend Mike Tindall, Prince Harry, who was accompanied by then-girlfriend Chelsy Davy, as well as Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and their father, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Prince William could not attend, but his then-girlfriend Kate Middleton was there.

About 70 members of the bride's family jetted in to watch the couple walk down the aisle.

Kelly's wedding dress, consisting of a fitted bodice made of hand-beaded lace, a silk duchesse skirt and beaded French lace shrug, was created by British designer Sassi Holford.

Her look was completed by a tiara lent to her by her new mother-in-law Princess Anne. The Festoon tiara was given to Anne on her 23rd birthday by World Wide Shipping Group, and featured diamonds set in platinum.

She also wore a pearl and diamond necklace the groom bought for her, which was sent to her at Windsor Castle the night before the wedding.

She was supported by bridesmaids and flower girls decked out in pistachio green strapless gowns by US designer Vera Wang. The groom's sister Zara was among her attendants.

Kelly told the same publication she was initially "frightened of walking down the aisle".

"But when I got to the top of the stairs and saw how many of our friends and family had turned out to support us, I stopped being scared and actually enjoyed it," she said.

After the ceremony, the newlyweds rode in an open carriage to nearby Frogmore House for the official photos and wedding reception.

Public outrage

Their picture-perfect wedding day was soon the subject of public outrage after Hello! published a 100-page spread as part of a deal worth a reported $935,000.

The private nature of some of the 59 photos, including 10 shots of the Queen, angered the palace and the Queen herself, who was reportedly furious after being "blindsided" by the coverage.

Royal expert Simon Vigar said in the 2024 documentary Meghan: Where Did It All Go Wrong?, there were generally no cameras allowed inside royal weddings.

"So what happened at Peter and Autumn's wedding is controversial and unusual. It went down like a lead balloon with many members of the royal family," he said.

The Mirror columnist Susie Boniface told Channel 5, "They thought this was just photographers at a wedding and happily posed and grinned away, and then were quite amazed a couple of weeks afterwards to see a Hello! supplement dedicated entirely to things they thought were private family shots".

The Telegraph reported the late Queen was not consulted about the magazine deal, which was ridiculed in the press. A British MP, Ian Gibson, even said of the Queen's inclusion in the spread, "She is the Queen, not a footballer's wife".

As a result, the Queen reportedly banned other members of the royal family from agreeing to such a deal in future.

The couple did not receive any titles upon their marriage, and went back to work, even living in Hong Kong for a period.

They returned to England ahead of the birth of their first child, Savannah Anne Kathleen, on December 20, 2010. She was the first great-grandchild of the Queen and Prince Philip.

Her younger sister, Isla Elizabeth, was born on March 29, 2012.

The couple did not carry out royal duties but attended many royal events such as Trooping the Colour and the annual Christmas Day at Sandringham.

Rumours circulated in 2019 that the couple had separated, with early reports indicating it was Autumn who wanted out of the union.

In February 2020, they announced via a statement they were divorcing and would continue to co-parent their children, then aged nine and seven.

According to the BBC, the Queen and other members of the royal family had been informed of their decision the previous year.

Their divorce was finalised in the High Court on June 14, 2021. A spokesperson for the former couple said at the time, "Whilst this is a sad day for Peter and Autumn, they continue to put the well-being and upbringing 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."

Phillips, 48, who is managing director of a boutique sports management firm SEL UK, and has other business interests, has since found love with Harriet Sperling, a paediatric nurse specialist who has one daughter, Georgia, from her previous marriage to Antonio St John Sperling, a fitness instructor.

Phillips and Sperling, 45, were thought to have met through their children at a sporting event in early 2024.

Their engagement was announced in August 2025.

"Mr Peter Phillips, the son of HRH The Princess Royal and Captain Mark Phillips, and Ms Harriet Sperling, daughter of the late Mr Rupert Sanders and Mrs Mary Sanders of Gloucestershire, have today confirmed their official engagement," a statement said.

"Both families were informed jointly of the announcement and were delighted with the wonderful news of their engagement. Their Majesties The King and Queen, The Prince and Princess of Wales have been informed of the announcement."

Their wedding date and location were only announced a month ago.

Kelly has also moved on with Irish-born Donal Mulryan, who runs a London-based property development and construction firm he founded in 2015.