Alongside becoming Peter Phillips‘ wife on Saturday, Harriet Sperling also became a stepmother to his two daughters: Savannah Phillips and Isla Phillips. The bride’s daughter, Georgina, from a previous marriage, as well as her new stepdaughters all played special roles on the big day.
Savannah, Isla and Georgina served as bridesmaids at the ceremony held at All Saints Church in the picturesque Cotswolds. As the bride arrived at the church, her daughter and Peter’s girls, dressed in matching Emilia Wickstead dresses and flower crowns, greeted her and helped arrange her veil, before accompanying her inside for the ceremony which officially united their blended family.
Body language expert Judi James tells HELLO!: “Blended families and weddings aren’t always an easy mix but Harriet’s strong affectionate bonds with her step-daughters looked apparent here from the way the three girls worked so well together as a bridesmaid team, using high levels of mirroring to the point where it would have been impossible to pick out the daughter from the step-daughters.”
Judi observed that Savannah, Isla and Georgina all “looked totally tuned in to Harriet in terms of following her cues and getting it all right.”
“There were no ‘special’ smiles or glances to suggest any favoritism or exclusion and their concern looked totally mutual, showing they all took their jobs seriously in terms of making Harriet’s day perfect,” Judi adds. “The maneuvers with the car and the train and the walk into the church were a perfect example of excellent team work that would appear symbolic of their bonded team as a family unit.”
The body language expert also pointed out that the teenagers had a “deceptively challenging job” at the wedding. “A long train that drapes along the ground will need smoothing out, but a shorter train like Harriet’s, which was held totally aloft by the bridesmaids, needed a very careful choreography from them all to avoid dragging the bride’s head back or the fabric pulling awkwardly between three pairs of hands,” Judi says. “It was obvious the girls were taking their job seriously as they walked quickly to the car to greet the bride, and from the way they gazed in at Harriet wearing serious expressions to check her cues.”
© Samir Hussein/WireImage“The most complex move came as they had to make a rotation holding the train aloft to be facing the right way and then stand in a perfect line waiting for Harriet’s cue to all start walking together.It was probably down to the careful synchronicity of the bridesmaids that Harriet was able to glide swan-like into the church as the girls appeared to exchange small comments and commands behind her to ensure their choreography was perfect.”
© Samir Hussein/WireImageHarriet’s bond with Peter’s daughters has previously been on display, with Harriet being described as “motherly.” The month after she and Peter went public with their relationship in 2024, the NHS nurse and Queen Elizabeth’s eldest grandson attended the 2024 Gloucestershire Festival of Polo with their respective children. At the time, a source told HELLO! that “at one point, Savannah returned to the table and seemed a bit upset, and Harriet was putting her arm around her and comforting her. They’re a tight unit, very quickly, they seem to be a bit of a family. Harriet seems very motherly and very good with the kids.”
The following summer, Harriet and Peter announced their engagement, sharing the news exclusively with HELLO!. In a statement issued for the couple, Gerard Franklin said: “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,” adding: “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.”
© Samir Hussein/WireImageWeeks after their engagement was announced, Peter took Harriet to Balmoral for the first time. It was at Balmoral, HELLO! understands, where Georgina was introduced to members of the royal family, including the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children.
Harriet’s daughter made her first public appearance with the royal family this past Easter. Following the Easter Sunday service at St George’s Chapel, body language expert Inbaal Honigman told HELLO! that the royals seemed “keen to welcome” Georgina into the fold. “Their casual, friendly smiles and moves show them to be feeling at ease, and wanting Georgina herself to feel at ease,” Inbaal said. “They all communicate with her gently and warmly, keen to welcome her to the fold.”