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Prince William and Prince Harry‘s cousin, Peter Phillips, recently got engaged. But the announcement from Princess Anne‘s son mentioned the Prince and Princess of Wales not the Duke an Duchess of Sussex although Phillips is said to close with both William and Harry.
The official announcement of the news 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.
“Both 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. No date has been officially set for the wedding.”
Was Prince Harry intentionally snubbed and should he attend the wedding? Here’s what someone who used to work for the royals thinks about that.
Why the announcement included Prince William and Kate but not Prince Harry
Grant Harrold was King Charles’ butler for seven years. During his time working for the now-monarch, his duties included those of valet, housekeeper, house manager, and driver as well. Harrold also looked after Prince William and Prince Harry whenever the brothers were staying at Highgrove House.
Speaking on behalf of Fruity King, Harrold told Showbiz Cheat Sheet: “Peter and Harriet’s engagement is lovely news. Obviously, this is his second marriage. I actually worked at the engagement party for his first marriage.
“Peter isn’t actually a senior member of the royal family, so unlike Prince William and Harry he wouldn’t have had to seek permission from the monarch. However, I do think he would have informed the king of his intentions. This would have been purely out of politeness and respect for his uncle, rather than following protocol.”
Harrold then offered his thoughts on why the Waleses were mentioned, but not Harry and his wife in the announcement.
“I think the mention of Prince William in the official announcement was again just out of politeness,” he opined, adding, “There would be no official reason for it. I think the mention of Will and Kate is just a sign of their elevated position in the royal family at the moment. Again, there is no official rule to do it, it’s just out of politeness, but it is very telling. Peter and William are very close so he would have wanted him to be included. I think that if Prince Harry was still part of the family, Peter would have included him on there as well.”
Harry will be viewed as ‘petty’ if he doesn’t attend Phillips and Sperling’s wedding?
Of course the question on just about everyone’s mind is when the wedding does take place, will the Duke of Sussex attend with his brother, sister-in-law, and the rest of the royals?
At least one commentator says if Harry does not go to his cousin’s wedding, he’ll “look petty.”
Culture expert and TV host Nick Ede said: “Prince Harry has always been close to Peter Phillips and Harry has been known to attend major royal occasions on his own. I think that it would be a good thing for his popularity if he attended the wedding. If he is looking to gain favor with his family, this could be a nice way of starting to heal the rift. If he doesn’t attend, it will look a bit petty and that he is not supporting his cousin on his special day.”
Phillips was previously married to Autumn Kelly. They divorced in 2021 and have two children together.
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