Prince William and Queen Camilla Clash Over Royal Tiara Ahead of Peter Phillips Wedding: Report
The alleged disagreement is over whether Peter Phillips's new bride-to-be should be permitted to wear a royal tiara for her wedding.
Princess Anne’s son, Peter Phillips, and Harriet Sperling are set to marry this coming weekend in a private ceremony in the Cotswolds, and several senior members of the Royal Family are expected to attend. The guest list includes names like King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Princess Kate, and so on, and the ceremony is taking place on June 6 at All Saints Church in Kemble, Gloucestershire, near Princess Anne’s Gatcombe Estate. The couple is set to exchange vows just over a year after first meeting in May 2024. Yet, with only days to go before the ceremony, public attention has abruptly shifted from the guest list to behind-the-scenes drama. Reports have emerged of a high-stakes disagreement involving Camilla and William over whether Harriet will be permitted to wear a royal tiara on her big day.
According to a Palace source cited by the Royal Insider Network and reported by the Express, Prince William intervened after Queen Camilla's office allegedly attempted to prevent Harriet from accessing jewels from the Royal Vault. It happened because she does not come from an aristocratic background. The insider claimed the move frustrated Princess Anne, who reportedly turned to her nephew for assistance. As reported by the outlet, William thereafter authorized a "total administrative lockdown of the Royal Vaults." It was to ensure Peter's bride would be able to wear a tiara should Anne choose to lend her one. While the claims remain unverified by Buckingham Palace, the reported intervention has attracted quite a lot of attention ahead of the anticipated royal wedding.
The issue is particularly notable, as wearing a tiara has long been a royal wedding tradition for brides marrying into the family. Although Queen Camilla herself chose not to wear a tiara when she married the then-Prince Charles in 2005. She instead opted for a feathered Philip Treacy headpiece. Princess Anne is understood to have several options available if she decides to loan one to her future daughter-in-law. According to the insider, one leading contender is Anne's Pineflower Aquamarine Tiara, which belonged to the Queen Mother before it was gifted to Anne on her 1973 wedding day to her first husband, Mark Phillips.
Other potential contenders include the historic Meander Tiara. Originally a gift to Princess Anne from Queen Elizabeth II for her 18th birthday in 1968, the piece boasts a rich lineage tracing back to Princess Alice of Battenberg. It is perhaps best known today as the tiara Zara Tindall wore for her 2011 wedding to Mike Tindall. Alternatively, Harriet could walk down the aisle in Anne's cherished Festoon Diamond Tiara. Generously loaned to Peter's first wife, Autumn Phillips, for their 2008 nuptials, this stunning piece was gifted to Anne in 1973 by the World Wide Shipping Group of Hong Kong and remains one of her most frequently worn statement pieces.
Whether Harriet eventually ends up wearing a tiara for the wedding or not, one thing is certain: she will not receive a royal title upon marrying Peter. Despite being 19th in line to the throne, Phillips holds no title of his own—a deliberate choice made by Princess Anne at his birth to grant him and his sister, Zara, more private lives.
The upcoming nuptials are already drawing major royal buzz, especially given their modern, blended-family dynamic. Peter shares two daughters, Savannah (15) and Isla (14), with his ex-wife Autumn, while Harriet is mom to a teenage daughter, Georgina.
