Royal fans are set to be delighted today after it was announced that a royal wedding is set to be on the cards. On Friday, it was officially confirmed that Princess Anne’s son, Peter Phillips, is now engaged to his girlfriend, Harriet Sperling.
Although a date has not yet been set, the couple and their families are believed to be delighted by the news. The future bride and groom said in a statement: “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. 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.”
However, while Harriet, 45, has appeared publicly with Peter, 47, on the public stage multiple times now, including at Royal Ascot, not all royal fans know who she is.
While she has some high profile connections and is related to the Duke of Gloucester through her late father, as reported by The Daily Mail, Harriet has mainly lived a life outside of the public eye.
Although she is now dating a non-working member of the Royal Family, Harriet – who has one daughter – is still an NHS paediatric nurse specialist, and lives in Gloucestershire.
While not the case anymore, it is believed Harriet worked in London for some time and would commute into the city from Gloucestershire.
Harriet has been “passionate about early brain development in babies and seeing children thrive” throughout her work, the Mail reports.
It is believed Harriet has balanced juggling a career with raising her daughter, who she shares with her first husband, a private school-educated fitness instructor Antonio St John Sperling. She is believed to have found being a single parent difficult, writing in Christian magazine Woman Alive last year: “In the earlier years of my journey as a single mother to my daughter, resources were scarce, and the future was uncertain.
“Yet, in the absence of material security, I discovered the strength and life that comes from true selfless love. A love that is able to be solely devoted to your child.”
Although not yet married to Peter, it is believed Harriet already has a strong relationship with her soon-to-be royal in-laws, and has been seen at events looking very comfortable in their company, including that of King Charles, 76.