Prince Harry Left Out of Peter Phillips' Wedding Guest List — and It’s Due to One Major Reason
Prince Harry and Meghan are reportedly set to miss Peter Phillips' wedding, with one royal expert suggesting there may be a key reason why
Peter Phillips, the son of Princess Anne, is all set to get married for the second time to Harriet Sperling, in a private setting. Royal weddings are always an opportunity for the members of the Firm to gather and catch up, which might not always be possible due to their busy schedules. However, a member of the royal family will be missing from this occasion, and it is none other than Prince Harry.
After announcing their engagement last year, the couple began planning their big day, and it did not take long for people to start guessing which members of the Royal Family would be invited. The guest list is expected to include several senior royals, including King Charles, Queen Camilla, and Prince William and Princess Kate, but Harry and Meghan Markle are believed to be sitting this one out.
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond believes there is one main reason Harry and Markle reportedly were not included. It was to avoid anything that could pull attention away from the big day. She told Mirror, “Wedding guest lists are so often a nightmare! Who to include, who to leave out? Who will be offended? And the biggest no-no is to take attention away from the bride on her big day.”
According to Bond, Harry attending the wedding, with or without his wife, would likely dominate headlines and pull focus from the couple. She added, “That’s undoubtedly what would happen if Harry, with or without Meghan, came to Peter and Harriet’s wedding. So it seems they have taken the most sensible course, which is to leave the Sussex‘s off the guest list, along with uncle Andrew and his ex, Sarah.”
Ever since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex left royal duties and settled in the US in 2020, Harry’s relationship with his family has remained rocky. Bond believes that tension may be exactly why he would not be surprised about reportedly being left off the guest list. “It’s clear that the rift between Harry and his father and brother has had repercussions throughout the whole family,” said Bond. She continued, “It’s an incredibly sensitive situation, and all the rest of the family can really do is try not to cause further upset.”
Bond argued that while Harry is unlikely to be surprised by the reported snub, the occasion could still leave him feeling excluded. She explained, “Peter is closer in age to William and, since Harry's decision to leave the UK, they obviously see one another much more.” The royal expert also suggests that "his [Peter's] loyalty now lies with William and I’m sure his friendship has been invaluable through the past few very difficult years.” And as Jennie Bond rightly noted, while it's a "sad situation," there won't be much change to this scenario even in the future. "Until or unless the rift is mended, Harry is likely to find himself left out of any big family gathering," she clarified.
