NHS Nurse Harriet Sperling Wears a Royally-Approved White Skirt Set to Announce Engagement to Peter Phillips

Princess Anne's son is getting married for the second time.

Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling wearing sunglasses and smiling
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Peter Phillips announced some happy news on Friday, August 1, sharing with Hello! magazine that he's now engaged to his girlfriend of one year, Harriet Sperling. This will be the second marriage for Princess Anne's only son, who divorced his first wife, Autumn Kelly, in 2021.

In photos shared exclusively with the outlet, Sperling wears a zip-front white cheesecloth top by one of Princess Kate and Duchess Sophie's favorite labels, Me+Em. She paired the summery shirt with a matching elastic-waist skirt by the British brand, placing her hand on her new fiancé's chest in one sweet photo to show off her three-stone engagement ring.

Harriet has also turned to other royally-approved brands like Penelope Chilvers and Aspinal of London during her outings with Phillips and the rest of the Royal Family. Phillips and Sterling started dating in spring 2024, making their first public appearance at the Badminton Horse Trials that May. Since then, Harriet has become a regular fixture at events like Royal Ascot and polo matches, and this June, she joined Peter in the carriage procession at Royal Ascot—seen by many as a clear sign of The King's approval and the seriousness of their relationship.

Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling smiling at Wimbledon wearing shirts

The couple is seen at the Wimbledon championships in July 2025.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

A statement shared with Hello! read, "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 confirmed their official engagement."

The statement continued that the couple's families "were informed jointly of the announcement and were delighted with the wonderful news of their engagement. Their Majesties The King and Queen, The Prince and Princess of Wales have been informed of the announcement."

Harriet Sperling riding in a carriage with Peter Phillips at Royal Ascot wearing a floral hat

Sperling joined the Royal Family's carriage procession at Royal Ascot this year.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Sperling, who works as a pediatric nurse, has a pre-teen daughter named Georgina from a previous marriage and has written about her Christian faith in relation to parenting. Writing in Woman Alive, "My daughter and I journeyed ten years with only each other. I liken us to an island and it has often felt hard to imagine anyone joining that island."

"But of course, beauty comes from relationships, relationships with our maker and relationships with each other," she added. "It is often tough parenting alone, but although there is a stigma to endure, God is able to step in and turn it for good."

No date has been announced for a wedding just yet—but fans will surely be watching to see what the Royal Family's newest style star will wear on her wedding day.

Kristin Contino
Senior Royal and Celebrity Editor

Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.