Just 10 days after marrying Peter Phillips, the writer and NHS nurse Harriet Sperling has made her first official appearance as a member of the Royal Family, popping up as part of the royal procession to kick off Royal Ascot. Or, should we say, Harriet Phillips has. Harriet’s new married name is officially in effect according to the Royal Ascot carriage list, where she was written as Mrs Peter Phillips in the second carriage – along with husband Peter, Peter’s mother, Princess Anne, and Sir Ben Elliot.
Harriet was spotted having a great time at the races, chatting with her new sister-in-law Zara Tindall before she headed to the royal box to watch the horses. For her first outing as a newlywed, Harriet went for something blue – a high-necked baby-blue dress with elegant buttons, designed by royal favourite label Suzannah London.
Mark Cuthbert
The dress is the Biarritz style in a silk crepe, available to buy for £4,390 and described as being inspired by ‘a late 1940s vintage tea dress’. On the Suzannah London website, the product description reads: ‘We have re-imagined this design to have it skim over the bodice with a fluid, gentle, soft movement throughout the skirt, from the hips to the hemline. The silhouette is contoured around the waist, with a detachable belt and softly tailored bodice part. Self-covered dome buttons add an immaculate finish to the neckline, with a beautiful high collar and fluid pleated shoulder seams. The dress is lined in silk satin for ultimate comfort.’
It was made by Suzannah London, a designer worn by everyone from Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, to Catherine, Princess of Wales, so clearly a royal-approved choice.
Mark Cuthbert
Harriet coupled her dress with a matching hat, plus an Anya Hindmarch pearl Maud clutch bag. Look closely and you’ll spot a rather sweet detail: the bag has been monogrammed with Harriet’s new initials, HP.
It’s a strikingly similar look to quite a few fellow royals. Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, wore a Beulah London dress in light blue for Harriet and Peter’s wedding day. Queen Camilla also wore baby blue to Ascot in a skirt suit embroidered with flowers around the shoulders. And, of course, Catherine, Princess of Wales, has frequently worn baby blue, most recently donning a double-breasted coat dress by Catherine Walker for Trooping the Colour last Saturday.
Samir Hussein
That most recent blue outfit on Kate was a definite nod to Princess Diana, who in 1987 wore an almost identical look – also designed by Catherine Walker! – to attend an Easter service with a young Prince William and his cousin Peter Phillips.
Tim Graham
Connected those dots? Peter Phillips is the very man Harriet Sperling married last week. Could she be making a few-degrees-of-separation reference to this fashion moment, with a sweet nod to her new husband thrown in? With the Royal Family’s love for subtly taking inspiration from one another’s style, we wouldn’t put it past her.
Regardless, Harriet’s Suzannah London dress was spot on for Royal Ascot and entirely fitting for a new member of the Royal Family. Pastels were clearly the order of the day for the whole squad, as Zara Tindall twinned with Harriet in a lilac dress by designer Rebecca Vallance. That, in turn, reminds us of a lilac Emilia Wickstead dress Catherine, Princess of Wales, wore in April this year. See what we mean about the Royal Family all giving subtle nods of approval to each other through what they wear?