He was once a royal never far from a controversy, be it a disastrous £500,000 HELLO! magazine wedding day deal or a rather contentious Chinese milk ad.
But now, Peter Phillips, who today celebrates his 49th birthday, appears to have heralded an entirely different era after finding love again with his new wife, NHS nurse Harriet Sperling, 46.
Following their wedding earlier this year, the couple are carving out a new life with their blended family, settling into a home on his mother Princess Anne’s Gatcombe estate in Gloucestershire.
Yet several onlookers may find it hard to entirely separate the Peter of today from the litany of dramas he has previously weathered publicly.
When Peter and Harriet tied the knot in front of their friends and family at All Saints Church in Kemble this summer, it was a starkly different day from the nuptials he previously shared with his former-wife, Autumn Phillips.
Peter and Autumn said ‘I Do’ at Windsor’s St George’s Chapel in 2008, yet their wedding day became most famously associated with a controversial £500,000 HELLO! deal that left Prince William ‘deeply unhappy’ with his cousin.
The 100-page exclusive feature from the magazine included remarkably candid shots of the royals, including images of the family laughing and one photo of Prince Harry giving his grandmother – Elizabeth II – a peck on the cheek.
William and Harry’s then-girlfriends, Kate Middleton and Chelsy Davy, also appeared heavily throughout the special, despite issuing previous complaints about privacy breaches.
Peter Phillips, who today celebrates his 49th birthday, appears to have heralded an entirely new era after finding love again with his new wife, NHS nurse Harriet Sperling, 46
Peter and his former wife Autumn said ‘I Do’ at Windsor’s St George’s Chapel in 2008, yet their wedding day became most famously associated with a controversial £500,000 HELLO! deal that left Prince William ‘deeply unhappy’ with his cousin
In 2020, the Cabinet Office faced calls to probe Peter for cashing in on his royal links to sell milk for the Chinese state
Sources close to the royals told The Standard at the time that the princes were entirely unaware that the images were going to be featured in the magazine, and that Peter’s HELLO! deal ‘had not gone down well at all’.
They added: ‘Neither Peter nor the magazine sought their approval – and if they had, it certainly would not have been given. They are unhappy about it.’
Yet the controversies surrounding Peter did not stop there. Eight years later, in 2018, the royal found himself at the throws of another scandal.
Two years after the late Queen Elizabeth II’s jubilee it emerged that Peter, her grandson, was paid £750,000 for overseeing her 90th birthday street party in The Mall, at which 10,000 guests forked out £150 a head.
The event, which took place in June 2016, transformed the business fortunes of his company, Sel (UK) Limited, with accounts disclosing that it held £164,038 in shareholders’ funds in the year to June 30, 2016, compared with a paltry £7,733 the previous year.
Then, in 2020, Peter hit the headlines once again after the Cabinet Office faced calls to probe Peter for cashing in on his royal links to sell milk for the Chinese state
Introduced to Chinese consumers as ‘British royal family member Peter Phillips’, the advert showed Peter gulping down a glass of ‘Jersey Cattle Fresh Milk’ while a caption urges: ‘Indulge in freshness and richness’.
One ad featured a replica of the Queen’s state coach plus a liveried footman. A smiling Peter, who has never had HRH status, hailed the ‘fantastic reputation’ of Bright Dairies, which owned the brand and was itself owned by the Shanghai government.
A spokesman for Longleat House, the Wiltshire property used in the commercial, said permission had not been granted. Former Home Office minister Norman Baker said strict rules had been broken, while other MPs criticised the ‘crass’ adverts on Shanghai television
Among the guests at his first wedding to Autumn Kelly were the young Prince Harry and his then girlfriend Chelsy Davy, as well as the future Princess of Wales, all in the full flush of youth
A spokesman for Longleat House, the Wiltshire property used in the commercial, said permission had not been granted.
Former Home Office minister Norman Baker said strict rules had been broken, while other MPs criticised the ‘crass’ adverts on Shanghai television.
While palace sources stressed at the time that he had not used the word ‘royal’ in the adverts, it later emerged that the caption in Chinese bills him as a ‘British royal family member’.
The following March, just months after his divorce from Autumn was finalised, Peter struck up an unlikely romance with Lindsay Wallace – an old school friend and classmate of his sister, Zara Tindall.
Their relationship soon came under scrutiny when the royal made a 460-mile trip from Gloucestershire to visit Lindsay in Aberdeenshire. Restrictions at the time meant that travel to or from Scotland without a reasonable excuse was prohibited by law.
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said at the time: ‘At around 6.40pm on Friday 26 March, 2021, police received a report of a potential breach of coronavirus regulations at a property in St Cyrus, Montrose. Officers attended, spoke to the occupants and found no breaches of legislation.’
In the following months, Peter even brought Lindsay to the christening of his nephew Lucas that same year. However, the couple went their separate ways in 2024.
But now, forward to the present day and Peter appears to have turned a corner.
Radiant beneath her lace veil in their wedding photographs, it is not difficult to see why Harriet appears to have brought fresh breeze of air into Peter’s life. The couple met not through some crusty royal matchmaking exercise, but rather organically, through their daughters’ school and social circles.
Two years after the late Queen Elizabeth II’s jubilee it emerged that Peter, her grandson, was paid £750,000 for overseeing her 90th birthday street party in The Mall, at which 10,000 guests forked out £150 a head
In March 2021, just months after his divorce from Autumn was finalised, Peter struck up an unlikely romance with Lindsay Wallace – an old school friend and classmate of his sister, Zara Tindall. However, they also faced scrutiny due to coronavirus restrictions at the time
Harriet’s daughter Georgina attends the same school as Peter’s daughters, and the pair first got to know one another through school gatherings and hockey matches. In an interview with Hello! Harriet described a relationship that developed naturally, away from the formalities and expectations of royal life.
‘We met properly in early 2022, when our three daughters were on the same hockey team. My daughter already knew Peter, as his children knew me, so we didn’t need a formal big introduction. It felt very relaxed and natural,’ she said.
She also described Peter as her best friend, adding how lovely it was to have a companion with whom to share her life.
It now appears that the couple, and Peter in particular, have entered a welcome period of domestic calm, something that must be particularly cherished after the stormy upheaval of his marriage breakdown in 2020.
His lavish wedding to Canadian-born Autumn at Windsor Castle in 2008 was one of the great society occasions of the year. Among the guests were the young Prince Harry and his then girlfriend Chelsy Davy, as well as the future Princess of Wales, all in the full flush of youth. Prince William was absent because of his Army commitments.
But after 12 years together, the couple announced their separation in 2020, with their divorce finalised the following year. Autumn has since found happiness again in a relationship with Irish construction tycoon Donal Mulryan.
Even an amicable separation can leave a considerable hole in family life, particularly when children are involved.
But with Harriet, Peter appears to have found someone whose own family circumstances dovetail naturally with his.
Her daughter Georgina, 13, has struck up friendships with Peter’s daughters, Savannah, 15 and Isla, 14, while their life together on the Gatcombe estate offers the teenagers the opportunity to become accustomed to their new family arrangement at their own pace.
They are also surrounded by an extended family. Princess Anne lives on the estate, as do Zara and Mike Tindall with their three children, Mia, 12, Lena, eight, and Lucas, five.
Fast forward to the present day and Peter now appears to have turned a corner. Radiant beneath her lace veil in their wedding photographs, it is not difficult to see why Harriet appears to have brought fresh breeze of air into Peter’s life
Peter and Harriet also live by an extended family. Princess Anne lives on the Gatcombe Estate with them, as do Zara and Mike Tindall with their three children, Mia, 12, Lena, eight, and Lucas, five
It is a cosy domestic set-up, with grandparents, cousins and close family members nearby, providing a sense of continuity and belonging.
But Harriet has seemingly brought more than domestic harmony to Peter’s life. She also brings professional identity to the royal fold.
Not only does she display the polished looks and understated style to rival the Princess of Wales, but she has also enjoyed a highly respectable career as an NHS nurse.
Working on the frontline of healthcare requires considerable skill, resilience and mental toughness – qualities that are valuable in any walk of life, not least one connected to the Royal Family.
Although Harriet has now moved away from hospital nursing and is preparing to take on a prominent charitable role as the patron of Home-Start in the Cotswolds, her more than two decades of professional experience speak for themselves.
She has brought her own sense of self and experience to royal life, rather than simply becoming another royal spouse in a good coat and fascinator.
Indeed, her recent interview suggests she has already made a favourable impression within the family. She spoke admiringly of Princess Anne’s extraordinary work ethic and dedication, while revealing that she can also turn to the Princess of Wales for advice.
It suggests Harriet is finding her feet comfortably within the royal circle, while retaining the grounded perspective of someone who has spent much of her working life caring for others.
So as Peter continues his career in sports marketing and motorsport partnerships, and Harriet prepares for her new charitable responsibilities, the couple appear to have found something as precious as it is enviable: access to the privileges and connections of royal life without the scrutiny that comes with being a working royal.
For Peter, who has spent much of his adult life trying to maintain a private existence despite his royal connections, it may be the perfect arrangement. And after the turbulence of recent years, it seems he has finally found his happy place.