King Charles is celebrating his 77th birthday on Friday, November 14, but on Saturday, another member of the Royal Family will celebrate his own special day. Princess Anne's son, Peter Phillips, turns 48 on November 15, and ahead of his birthday, former royal gardener Jack Stooks reveals that newly engaged Peter is a "down-to-earth chap" who will prefer a more intimate wedding than a high-profile affair.
Speaking on behalf of Smooth Spins Casino, Stooks says that Phillips—who proposed to girlfriend Harriet Sperling this summer—will likely choose to have a modest ceremony with close friends and family for his second wedding. Princess Anne's eldest child was previously married to Autumn Kelly, and the couple divorced in 2021 after welcoming daughters Isla and Savannah.
"Yes, I do think this wedding will be very low-key," Stooks shares. "If there’s anything to go by, like The King’s wedding when he got remarried, it wasn’t as big as a royal wedding normally would be. It was a lot more low-key." Since Phillips doesn't hold a royal title, Stooks adds, "he’ll probably have a very private ceremony" at Sperling's home or at Princess Anne's estate, Gatcombe Park.
Sperling and Phillips are pictured at Royal Ascot 2025.
The couple announced their engagement in August.
Stooks says that the event will likely be "just somewhere private and out of the way" with "a few family and friends invited." He adds, "They’ll get it done and dusted."
As for whether Prince William and Princess Kate and other royals will attend the wedding, Stooks says, "They might get asked, they might not," adding, "If they start inviting all the royals, it’ll become a bit more high profile."
Sperling, who is a pediatric nurse for the NHS, is "very down to earth and grounded as well," Stooks says. Since Phillips is not a working royal, the former gardener points out that "it’s nice that they get to live as normal a life as possible but still attend royal events now and then."
Sperling is pictured with Phillips at Guards Polo Club.
Sperling has already made appearances at Royal Ascot, Wimbledon and polo matches with the Royal Family, sharing warm greetings with Phillips's uncle, King Charles. As for her future husband, Stooks says that Phillips is "actually just a genuinely really nice, down-to-earth chap," adding that his sister, Zara Tindall, is the same.
"I quite often see them both out and about because they’re fairly local to where I live," he continues. "For instance, you might see them shopping normally in the supermarket or jumping on the same train to London. They’re very down-to-earth, normal people who just carry on their day like all of us do."
Stooks adds, "It’s nice to see him around, he’s just a great, normal guy. You can say hi to him and he’ll say hi back, chat a little. He’s warm and welcoming, just like the whole of Princess Anne’s family. It’s nice how they’ve all been brought up that way."
