Princess Beatrice and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi arrived alongside Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank. It marks the York sisters’ most high-profile engagement since Christmas as they took a step back from public life while scandal engulfed their parents, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson. (It is understood neither was invited to the wedding).
The Prince and Princess of Wales were among the last to arrive, with Catherine looking the picture of elegance in a biscuit-coloured dress by Roland Mouret and matching boater. Prince William and King Charles III both looked dapper in their top hats and tails.
Harriet, a devout Christian who has written movingly about the strength of her faith, is believed to have wanted the focus to remain on the important commitment she and Peter made to each other, rather than the glitz and glamour that can eclipse the religious service at the heart of high-profile nuptials.
Following the service, it was on to a reception at Gatcombe. Purchased by Queen Elizabeth II in 1976 for Princess Anne and Capt Phillips, the Grade II-listed property dates back to the Dissolution of the Monasteries, when the manors of Minchinhampton and Avening were granted to Lord Windsor, though his family would go on to sell the land to Philip Sheppard in 1656. Once home to the annual Festival of British Eventing (declared in 2023 to be ‘unfeasible to run’ by Mark and Peter Phillips), Gatcombe has played a key part in Princess Anne’s royal career. Both her children were raised on the estate.
A fitting locale for Peter’s wedding reception, then. And, rumour has it, the big day has yet another royal tie. According to reports, both the ceremony and the following party have been planned by Peregrine Armstrong-Jones, the half-brother of Princess Margaret’s ex-husband, Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon. Peregrine and Peter Phillips know each other well: after all, Peregrine organised Peter’s 21st birthday party at Windsor Castle. The event mastermind, who works under Bentley’s Entertainment, was also responsible for the weddings of Mike and Zara Tindall, Victoria and David Beckham, and the wedding of Hugh Grant to Anna Elisabet Eberstein.
