Why Prince William Left Girlfriend Kate Alone to Brave the Royals at Peter Phillips’ First Wedding
While William and Kate will be by Phillips’ side for his big day this year, the situation was completely different the last time the royal tied the knot.
Preparations are in full swing as Princess Anne's son, Peter Phillips, is all set to marry his beau, Harriet Sperling, over the weekend. The intimate but royal Cotswolds gathering is expected to bring together some of the family's most senior members, including King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Princess Kate, under the same roof. While some relatives plan to make an early exit due to prior commitments, the Prince and Princess of Wales are reportedly staying for both the ceremony and the subsequent celebrations, according to reports. The situation stands in stark contrast to how things went down the last time that Phillips tied the knot.
Phillips will be plunging into holy matrimony for the second time in his life, as he was previously married to Autumn Kelly from 2008 to 2021. While William and Kate will arrive as a united front this time, Phillips' first wedding nearly two decades ago unfolded very differently for the Wales couple. Back then, Kate and William were not yet married, and surprisingly the former decided to ditch his own cousin's wedding, leaving his then-girlfriend to navigate a major royal occasion all on her own.
Yes, you read it right; William skipped Phillips' first wedding to travel miles away to Batian Craig, Africa, to attend a friend's nuptials. However, this time he plans to make amends and has allegedly already confirmed his attendance at the event. Royal expert Richard Eden shared, "William and Catherine will be at the wedding ceremony and reception." Looking back, Eden highlighted how William's decision to leave left Kate alone to face the royals; it must have been pretty taxing for her, as at that time she was only his girlfriend, and it was her first official meeting with Queen Elizabeth.
"His (William's) absence from Peter’s first wedding meant that Catherine attended on her own. It was the first time she had met her then-boyfriend’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II," shared Eden. Writing for the Daily Mail, he continued, "Catherine’s presence at Peter’s first wedding meant she ended up appearing in the pages of Hello! because he had sold exclusive photographic rights to the glossy magazine for a reported £500,000. His decision to sign the deal with Hello! caused controversy at the time. The commercialization of the royal wedding—for the first time in history—upset courtiers who believed the pages of the ‘celebrity bible’ should be confined to WAGs and soap stars."
While William left Kate alone at the party, she indeed had Prince Harry's company to keep herself entertained. "Spread over a staggering 59 pages, the coverage featured what the magazine described as 'fabulous pictures of the young Royals at the fun-filled celebrations.' Catherine was pictured laughing, similarly uproariously, with Prince Harry’s then-girlfriend Chelsy Davy, as he made some joke. They were also pictured letting their hair down on the dance floor," Eden detailed. However, this year, things will be a lot different.
While Kate and William will be arriving together this year, Phillips' uncle, King Charles, will have to leave the event before the toast to attend a professional commitment. "King Charles and Queen Camilla will leave his nephew Peter Phillips’s wedding festivities this Saturday before the guests even have time to raise a toast to the groom and his second wife," explained Eden. On one hand, Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, are not invited to the ceremony, but on the other hand, Phillips this time around has not sold his wedding exclusive coverage rights to any publication (hopefully).
