Harriet Sperling Is Often Compared to Kate ― but Her Similarities to Meghan Are Hard to Ignore
From their style choices to their marital history, Harriet Sperling and Meghan Markle share a striking number of wedding day parallels.
Ever since Harriet Sperling entered the royal orbit, she has always been likened to her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton. The resemblances are obvious; both of them come from non-royal backgrounds, always carry themselves with absolute poise, and possess an impeccable fashion sense. However, the Princess of Wales is not the only sister-in-law Sperling shares commonalities with. In fact, the newest royal bride has a lot in common with Meghan Markle as well.
Perhaps the most glaring thing that Sperling and Markle have in common is their romantic past. Both of them were married before their royal weddings. The former was married to fitness instructor Antonio St. John, and the Duchess of Sussex to American film producer and talent manager Trevor Engelson. Sperling had a daughter, Georgina, with her first husband, who, along with Phillips’ daughters, Isla and Savannah, was a bridesmaid for her mother at the wedding.
In addition to their marital histories, both Sperling and Markle come from humble backgrounds and built thriving careers before marrying into the royal family. Sperling is an NHS nurse, while Markle was a popular actress, famously known for her Rachel Zane role in Suits. While the Duchess had to give up her job to enter the royal fold, the new bride will likely continue her employment, considering Phillips is not a working royal.
In the run-up to Sperling’s wedding to Peter Phillips, there was significant speculation about whether she would wear a tiara or not. One side believed that since it was her second wedding, she would opt out of wearing one, while the other side speculated that she would wear a piece from her mother-in-law, Princess Anne. Interestingly, the bride finally did wear a tiara, but it was loaned from Pragnell jewellers, the creators behind her engagement ring.
While Markle had to endure a lot of drama surrounding her tiara, she was never speculated to forgo the headpiece. However, it was reported that Queen Elizabeth had expected her to wear white to the ceremony, given that it was her second wedding. “The Queen was surprised that Meghan wore pure white on her wedding day. Perhaps it's a generational thing, but she believes if you've been married before, you wear off-white on your wedding day, which is what the Duchess of Cornwall did,” royal biographer, Katie Nicholl, wrote in her book The New Royals. Sperling’s choice for a white gown was not questioned before her wedding.
To add to the list of commonalities that Sperling and Markle share, the new royal couple incidentally used the same car to drive away from the church after their wedding that the Duchess had arrived in at St. George’s Chapel for her 2018 nuptials. The vehicle was none other than the vintage Rolls-Royce Phantom IV.
