“[Peter is] very loyal; he’s very protective. He’s been a very good sounding board to his cousin over the years,” she said.
Basically, having both brothers there would almost certainly shift attention away from the couple getting married. In operational terms, it would turn a family wedding into a live test of royal body language. Nobody needs that in the seating plan.
“So it absolutely makes sense that I think had both Wales brothers been there, it would have put a completely different slant on the whole event,” Nash said. “And that’s not what you want on what should be the happiest day of your life, right?”
Media said it contacted representatives for Prince Harry but did not immediately receive a response.
Peter Phillips has been caught between William and Harry before
Nash pointed to Prince Philip’s funeral in 2021 as an earlier example of Phillips being placed in a difficult position between the brothers.
At the funeral procession, Phillips was positioned between Prince William and Prince Harry, who were already publicly understood to be estranged.
“Peter was positioned between the two warring brothers,” Nash said. “He was sort of put right in the middle of them as the older cousin, and that must have been a really difficult moment for him.”
She added that “a lot of water has gone under the bridge since then,” referring to the years of public fallout that followed.
Nash cited Harry’s memoir “Spare” and the Netflix docuseries he made with Meghan Markle as further reasons the relationship with Phillips may have deteriorated. Both projects aired private grievances and family tensions in public, which tends not to improve the group chat.
Why the guest list may be a practical choice
Nash said excluding Harry was a “smart” decision if the aim was to keep the wedding focused on Phillips and Sperling.
“If that had been the case, that would have become the absolute focal point for Peter and Harriet’s special day, and there have been enough distractions, I think, from the good things about the royal family over the past year,” she said.
“Hopefully, they can just have this one day to come together and celebrate someone’s happy news for a change.”
The trouble is not exactly subtle: reduce the number of unresolved royal conflicts in the room. It is not especially sentimental, but it is efficient.
The wedding is scheduled for June 6. William and Kate are expected to attend, and Nash said she believes King Charles III will also “make an appearance.”
She also expects the Prince and Princess of Wales’ children may be there. Phillips’ sister, Zara Tindall, and her husband, Mike Tindall, are considered definite attendees.
Who else is expected at Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling’s wedding
The ceremony is also expected to include Harriet Sperling’s daughter, Georgina, from her first marriage to Antonio St. John Sperling.
Nash said that detail is part of what makes the event notable inside the royal orbit.
“There is a real family at the heart of it — and a blended one as well. So it really is reflecting the much more modern face of the royal family,” she said.
Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice are also expected to attend. Their appearance would mark a significant family outing alongside other royals after the continued fallout surrounding their father, Andrew, and his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Nash said their presence would suggest the sisters still have a place at private family events.
“It will kind of show that there is still a place for them within the family,” she said, while stressing that the wedding is not an official royal engagement.
“But it’s also important to remember this is very much a family occasion and not an official one,” Nash said. “So you can’t read too much into these things, but I think it’s going to be fascinating to see how they interact with other members of the family.”
Sarah Ferguson and Andrew are unlikely to attend
As for whether Sarah Ferguson, the mother of Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, will be at the wedding, Nash gave a blunt assessment.
“I would say slim to zero,” she said.
“I don’t think we’ll see either Andrew or Sarah there,” Nash added. “The last year has been catastrophic for them as individuals and as a former couple.”
So the expected guest list appears to serve two purposes at once: celebrate Phillips and Sperling, and avoid importing every unresolved royal problem into one room. For a wedding, that is less a snub strategy than basic event management with better hats.
