Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling Got Married — But Why Did the Press Obsess Over Harry and Meghan?
Despite a lavish royal wedding with a beaming bride and groom, the media machine still found its way back to the Sussexes.
Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling tied the knot on June 6 at All Saints' Church, looking every bit the elegant couple embarking on their happily ever after. Yet while cameras focused on the newlyweds, much of the press seemed fixated on someone else: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who are thousands of miles away. Even as the grandchild of Queen Elizabeth got hitched, much of the attention remained on the Sussexes' absence, comparisons over wedding cars, and speculation about whether Phillips had snubbed the couple in a show of loyalty.
Sources close to Phillips had previously clarified that his wedding would be a private affair, with only close friends and family making the guest list. Harry and Markle, who stepped down as senior royals six years ago, would likely not have made the cut for no reason other than losing touch. Regardless, a Daily Mail article claimed that the Sussexes' absence was rooted in an 18-year-old feud and Harry's ongoing rift with Prince William. Royal editor Rebecca English penned, "While Harry is said to have 'not spoken in years' to Peter, sources say the presence of his estranged brother Prince William and his wife Kate at the Cotswolds event will inevitably have played a part." In doing so, the focus shifted from Phillips' big day to Harry's fractured relationship with his family, once again placing the Sussex saga at the center of the headlines.
That being said, Phillips and Sperling smiled for the cameras as they drove away in a vintage Phantom IV Rolls-Royce car following the ceremony. The seemingly innocent moment was spun around as a tribute to the Sussexes, as Markle had ridden in the very same car while on her way to marry Harry in 2018. In reality, the iconic Phantom IV was created after the then-Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip commissioned a special limousine in 1949. Their first Phantom IV was delivered in 1950 and later became an official state car when Elizabeth ascended the throne in 1952. Since then, it has been used multiple times by other royals, with Harry and Markle being only a small part of the equation.
While Harry and Markle rode in the car on their wedding day, they were obviously not the first. Charles has ridden in the Phantom IV numerous times, including at Royal Ascot, state visits, Trooping the Color, and Prince William and Kate Middleton's 2011 wedding. Needless to say, for all the wedding bells ringing in Kemble, the headlines seemed far more interested in the royals in Montecito and their tainted relationships across the pond.
