Peter Phillips 'Blindsided' Queen Elizabeth With An Unexpected Move After His First Wedding
Peter Phillips stirred quiet drama in 2008 after selling his wedding photos, leaving the royal family blindsided and not too pleased.
Royal weddings are always an opportunity to catch members of the monarchy together, but these events could also be remembered for controversy. Princess Anne’s son, Peter Phillips, is all set to get married for the second time to Harriet Sperlingin, in a private setting. But this was not the case during his first wedding. When he tied the knot with Autumn Kelly in 2008, he reportedly “blindsided” the royals. The Daily Express revealed that the newlyweds sold their wedding photos to Hello! Magazine for $673,655, and Queen Elizabeth was not thrilled about it.
Peter Phillips married Kelly at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, which is the same venue where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding. But what really stood out were the photos. Instead of the usual formal royal pictures, these were a lot more relaxed and candid. This included a photograph of Harry kissing Queen Elizabeth II on the cheek, along with others showing the family just laughing and being themselves, which is a rare sight when it comes to royal events.
Apparently, Elizabeth and other senior royals were simply caught off guard by the whole thing, with reports going on to mention that they felt “blindsided.” The Daily Express reported, “The magazine ran a 100-page special, with 59 pages of photographs from the wedding, including 10 of the queen.” It got so serious that Buckingham Palace put out a statement calling the photo deal a “serious error of judgment.” After that, the Queen reportedly made it clear that royals were not going to be selling personal photos to tabloids anymore.
Phillips and Sperling have been confirmed to hold a low-key wedding ceremony on Saturday, June 6. It is set to take place at All Saints Church, Kemble, and the village has a population of fewer than 1000 people. The wedding is going to be less over-the-top and more traditional. Gerard Frandklin, the couple’s spokesperson, released a statement to People saying, “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 announced their wedding date.”
The full guest list is still a mystery, but a few names are guaranteed. His parents, The Princess Royal and Captain Mark Phillips, will be there, along with his sister and brother-in-law, Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall. Peter’s daughters, Savannah and Isla, whom he shares with his ex-wife Phillips, are also expected to be part of the day. They reportedly have a close bond with Harriet already, so their presence will naturally be important.
Apart from Phillips, weddings of other royals have also been remembered for light-hearted moments or outright hostility between members of the family.
