Why Peter Phillips can now do what Princess Anne was forbidden from 30 years ago

On Saturday, Peter Phillips will marry British nurse Harriet Sperling inside a quaint church in the Cotswolds, five years after divorcing his first wife.

His second marriage, which has the blessing of the monarch, is taking place in England. But 34 years ago, when Phillips’ mother Princess Anne wanted to marry for the second time, she was forbidden from doing so in England due to an archaic rule and had to move the ceremony north to Scotland.

Phillips, 48, who is nephew of King Charles III, is 19th in line to the throne. He doesn’t carry out any public duties but is a regular fixture at events involving the wider royal family including Royal Ascot, Wimbledon, Easter at Windsor Castle and Christmas at Sandringham.

His wedding on June 6 is expected to be attended by the King and Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and other key members of the House of Windsor.

The ceremony, and marriage, is the latest example in the slow modernisation of the monarchy in its 1200-year history.

Not only will it see the blending of two families with children from each, it will also see another royal marry for the second time in England − something that was once prohibited.

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In 1992, Princess Anne had fallen in love with former equerry to Queen Elizabeth II, Commodore Timothy Laurence, and they married eight months after her divorce from Captain Mark Phillips. The Princess Royal and Captain Phillips had previously announced their separation in August 1981.

When she married Captain Phillips in November 1973, a national holiday was declared across the UK and an estimated 500 million people tuned in across the world to watch the nuptials.

Anne and Phillips married inside Westminster Abbey and the newlyweds later appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Anne wore a white gown designed by Maureen Baker and Queen Mary’s Fringe tiara. Royalty from Monaco, Norway and Greece were among the guests.

The marriage produced two children: Phillips, who was born in 1977, and Zara Tindall, who followed in 1981.

Princess Anne’s second wedding, 19 years later on December 12, was a very different affair.

Princess Anne and Sir Tim, a commander in the Royal Navy, were barred from having their ceremony in England due to religious rules at the time.

Then, the Church of England didn’t permit divorcees to remarry if their former spouse was still alive, a rule that had been in place from the 17th Century.

The fact the daughter of the head of the Church of England, Elizabeth II, was getting married again was considered unthinkable.

The issue of royals marrying divorcees, too, was taboo and Edward VIII chose to abdicate the throne in 1936 so he could marry his love, American Wallis Simpson.

So, to adhere to the rules of the church, and to quell any public outrage, the ceremony was moved to Scotland.

It was held inside Crathie Kirk, a small church close to Balmoral Castle and regularly used by the royal family. The Church of Scotland permitted the marriage as it does not consider marriage to be a sacrament, unlike the Church of England.

In Scotland, divorcees have been permitted to remarry since church law was changed in 1959.

Princess Anne was 42 at the time, her new husband was 37.

In marrying Sir Tim, she became the first royal divorcee to marry again since Queen Victoria’s granddaughter, Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in 1905.

Zara, who was 11, was her mother’s bridesmaid and Anne wore a spray of flowers in her hair instead of a tiara. Her outfit was a cream suit jacket with a matching knee-length skirt.

There were just 30 guests including the Queen and Prince Philip and Princess Anne’s brothers, the now-King Charles, former prince Andrew and Prince Edward. The reception was held afterwards at Craigowan Lodge, on the Balmoral estate.

Now, when her son remarries at the weekend, he is free to do so within an Anglican church.

In 2002 the General Synod, the Church of England’s legislative body, allowed remarriage in church of divorced people whose former partners were still alive, in “exceptional circumstances”.

Clergy were given advice which stated that defining the “exceptional circumstances” was the responsibility of the priest conducting what is called the “further marriage”, or how the church terms the second marriage.

Though the rules had changed by 2005, then-Prince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles, who were both divorcees, in a civil ceremony in Windsor Guildhall to avoid any further controversy surrounding their marriage. They had a religious blessing inside St George’s Chapel, at Windsor Castle, afterwards.

In 2018, Prince Harry married American divorcee Meghan Markle inside St George’s Chapel. The bride, who was given the title Duchess of Sussex, shocked some traditionalists by wearing a pure white Givenchy gown.

Phillips will become the latest royal divorcee to remarry when he and Sperling tie the knot on Saturday inside All Saints Church in Kemble, near Cirencester.

The bride has a daughter, Georgina, 14, from her previous marriage. Phillips has two daughters, Savannah, 15, and Isla, 14, with his ex-wife, Autumn Kelly.

Along with the King and Queen, and the Wales family, other royal guests could include Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie possibly marking their first event with the royals since their father’s arrest in February.

Phillip’s step-sister Stephanie Phillips, the daughter of Captain Phillips and his second wife Sandy Pflueger, is expected to be among the guests.

Phillips and Sperling announced their engagement in August 2024 after reportedly meeting at a sporting event involving their children.

Sperling is a devout Christian and in 2024 spoke about how her faith had provided solace while she was dealing with being a single mother.

In an article for Christian magazine Woman Alive, Sperling said she had brought her daughter up alone.

“Resources were scarce and the future was uncertain,” she said.

“Yet, in the absence of material security, I discovered the strength and life that comes from true, selfless love.

“My daughter and I journeyed 10 years with only each other. I liken us to an island and it has often felt hard to imagine anyone joining that island.”

Their chosen church is a short drive from Princess Anne’s Gatcombe Park estate, where Phillips and Sperling live on a separate property.

Sperling, who is a trained paediatric nurse who has worked with the National Health Service, first came to public attention when she was seen at the Badminton Horse Trials in May, 2024, with Phillips.