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Everyone from King Charles to Princess Beatrice turned out to witness Peter Phillips marry Harriet Sperling on Saturday, June 6, but two members of the Royal Family were conspicuously absent. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were reportedly not invited to Harry’s cousin’s wedding, and former royal butler Grant Harrold says the move “was the right decision.”
Although Prince William didn’t attend his cousin’s first wedding to Autumn Kelly, he joined Princess Kate and the rest of the Royal Family for Saturday’s wedding. But Harry, who was always close with Peter and was there to support Phillips at his 2008 nuptials, didn’t attend this time.
“I’m not surprised that we didn’t see Harry and Meghan there, but it’s still quite sad,” Harrold, said, speaking on behalf of CasinoHawks. “It really does highlight how much things have changed in the last five years.”
Peter Philips and Harriet Sperling are pictured on their June 6 wedding day. | Credit: Getty Images
“Peter and Harry haven’t spoken for several years and have simply lost touch, so he hasn’t been invited,” a friend of Peter and Harriet’s told Hello!
Harrold, who served King Charles at Highgrove for nearly a decade, was there to witness the interactions between Charles’s boys and their cousins over the years, and notes that “Peter and Harry were really close.”
Phillips does not hold a royal title and lives a relatively low-key life out of the spotlight, usually only joining the Royal Family at large events like weddings, funerals, Jubilees or The King’s coronation. And with Prince Harry living in California, there have been few opportunities for the two to interact.
Harrold continues, “Peter is such a diplomatic person that I think he would have called Harry to discuss it.” However, even if such a conversation didn’t take place, the fact remains that Prince Harry and Meghan would have become “the main story of the day” if they had been invited, as Harrold shares.
Prince Harry gives a speech during his April trip to Ukraine. | Credit: Getty Images
“It would have completely overshadowed the whole wedding, and everyone knows a wedding should be about the bride. Despite everything that’s happened, Harry really cares about Peter and he wouldn’t want to ruin his day,” the former royal butler says.
“While it’s still very sad and it shows there is a long way to go before Harry is welcomed back into the fold, I think it was the right decision,” he adds. “He’s considering their feelings, which is good.”