For a royal newcomer seeking a model to follow, few examples are more compelling than the Princess of Wales — and Harriet Sperling appears to have been paying close attention.
The 46-year-old former NHS specialist nurse married Princess Anne’s son, Peter Phillips, on June 6 at All Saints Church in Kemble, Gloucestershire. She later described the ceremony as a “slice of heaven”.
Speaking to Hello! magazine in her first interview since the wedding, Harriet said she has developed a close relationship with the future queen and often looks to the “open-hearted” Kate for “advice and guidance”.
There were already unmistakable echoes of Kate in Harriet’s interests, from her enthusiasm for wild swimming and Balmoral holidays to her dedication to early-years development.
Harriet, who spent much of her career focusing on infant mental health, has chosen Home-Start Cotswolds as her first royal patronage since leaving the NHS. She said the role felt like a “natural step, rather than a complete change of direction”.
Could Harriet follow the same path as Kate? From her polished wardrobe to her charitable priorities, the new member of the royal circle appears to be taking inspiration from the future queen at every turn.
The Princess of Wales remains one of the royal family’s most prominent role models. Catherine is pictured with Prince William, then the Duke of Cambridge, during the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022
Harriet Sperling wore a yellow dress with clear echoes of Kate’s style at Royal Ascot last year
Kate and Harriet share more than an interest in royal life. Both come from upper-middle-class families in neighbouring Berkshire and Gloucestershire and are close in age.
They also have a notably similar approach to fashion, with wardrobes featuring many of the same labels, including Beulah, ME+EM and Self-Portrait.
Their professional interests overlap, too. Kate has made childhood development the focus of her Early Years work, while Harriet, a former paediatric nurse, spent 24 years in healthcare specialising in infant mental health.
In 2010, Harriet was part of a medical team of doctors, clinicians and other specialists who helped save the life of Phineas, a critically ill baby struck by a deadly virus at just three weeks old.
She is also an accomplished freelance writer. In a recent essay for Woman Alive, Harriet wrote candidly about raising a daughter as a single mother and about the Christian faith that has guided her.
“My daughter and I journeyed 10 years with only each other. I liken us to an island and it has often felt hard to imagine anyone joining that island,” she wrote.
“The unique relationship between a single mother and her child is forged in the fires of struggles and victories. It’s a bond characterised by love and survival against the odds.
“This journey has deepened my faith, teaching me to trust in God’s plan and to find strength in his love.”
Harriet attends the 2025 Royal Ascot on the left, while Kate attends the Order of the Garter service at St George’s Chapel around the same time on the right. Their fashion choices show clear similarities
Writing is a strength Kate shares. Through the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, she co-authored a thoughtful essay titled The Power of Human Connection in a Distracted World.
Written with Harvard professor Robert Waldinger, the piece examined the possible damage caused by smartphones and social media, including what it described as an “epidemic of disconnection”.
Harriet, now a familiar face at events including Wimbledon and Cheltenham, has also attracted attention for a wardrobe that often recalls the Princess of Wales’s carefully judged royal style.
For her first Easter service as a royal, she appeared to take inspiration directly from Kate, bringing together pieces from four of her favoured designers.
The former NHS nurse looked elegant in a blue polka-dot two-piece by Beulah London — a brand Kate first wore six months after her wedding to Prince William and has revisited repeatedly.
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Harriet’s ensemble also evoked the blue-and-white Jenny Packham dress Kate wore when she left St Mary’s Hospital after giving birth to Prince George in 2013.
She finished the Easter look with jewellery from Kate’s preferred designer, Kiki McDonough, Emmy London heels and a hat by the princess’s go-to milliner, Jane Taylor.
Her wardrobe includes a host of labels that have benefited from the so-called “Kate effect”, among them Self-Portrait, Me+Em, Suzannah London, Penelope Chilvers and Aspinal of London.
The resemblance was especially striking at Royal Ascot in June, where Harriet made her first public appearance after marrying Princess Anne’s son.
The occasion was also an important return for Kate, who attended the Berkshire racecourse for the first time since completing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer.
Catherine’s 2011 white lace wedding dress became one of the best-known royal bridal gowns, while Harriet’s dress featured several similarly striking details
Sharp-eyed observers noticed that both women carried clutches by Anya Hindmarch, highlighting their remarkable sartorial synchronicity. Yet their common ground extends well beyond fashion.
Kate spoke about her enthusiasm for wild swimming during an appearance on Mike Tindall’s podcast, The Good, The Bad And The Rugby, in 2023, saying she preferred the water “the colder, the better”.
“Cold swimming – the colder, the better. I absolutely love it. Slightly to the point where William’s [saying] ‘You’re crazy’ and it’s dark, and it’s raining. I will go and seek out cold water. I love it.”
Harriet appears to share that enthusiasm. In her interview with Hello!, she said taking a cold dip is among her favourite ways to relax.
During the same interview, her first since marrying the King’s nephew, Harriet confirmed that she had become a patron of Home-Start Cotswolds, which supports families raising young children in the local community.
Kate has described early-years development as her “life’s work” and established the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in 2021.
The centre says its work is built around three priorities: researching the importance of the early years, bringing together public, private and voluntary organisations to share knowledge, and campaigning to increase awareness.
In 2022, Kate wrote an emotional letter highlighting the need to nurture and understand children during their earliest years as part of her wider campaign to improve young people’s wellbeing.
Since returning to public duties after cancer treatment, expanding the work of the “landmark” centre has remained one of Kate’s key priorities.
Last month, she held private discussions with Melinda, the former wife of Bill Gates, about possible partnerships focused on the development of young people.
The talks explored potential cooperation between Kate’s Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood and Pivotal, the investment and philanthropic organisation Melinda established in 2015 to support women and young people.
Kate may now have a valuable ally in Harriet, whose first royal patronage has been described by Princess Anne’s daughter-in-law as a “completely natural fit”.
“Over time, I’ve become increasingly passionate about the importance of promoting healthy brain development. If we can support parents during this critical early period, we have an opportunity to make a lasting difference for children.
“Moving on feels like a natural step, rather than a complete change of direction – it’s a chance to take everything I’ve learnt and use it in a new way.”
Harriet has been part of royal life for only five months, but she already appears to understand one of the institution’s most important rules.
With the Princess of Wales as her apparent inspiration, Britain’s newest royal may have found a particularly assured way to navigate life in “The Firm”.