Royal family member Peter Phillips has caused a stir at Wimbledon after debuting new girlfriend Harriet Sperling inside the royal box just months after splitting from his longtime partner.
King Charles’ nephew Peter Phillips has thanked the public for their ongoing support after the shock cancer diagnosis of both King Charles and now the Princess of Wales.
Mr Phillips told Sky News host Caroline Di Russo in an exclusive interview on Sunday that the public response has been “hugely heartening”.
“Well wishes for the both of them to recover quickly has been hugely heartening,” he said.
“She’s remarkable in herself … her and William make a fantastic team together.”
Mr Phillips also praised his mother Princess Anne’s “remarkable” work ethic.
The only son of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips went public with his new relationship with Ms Sperling two months ago during the Badminton Horse trials.
Ms Sperling is a paediatric specialist nurse and freelance writer but appeared to be carefree and relaxed while mingling with the likes of Queen Camilla and Keira Knightley inside the royal box.
Peter and his sister, Olympic medallist Zara Tindall, are the two eldest grandchildren of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip but have no royal titles at the request of their parents.
Peter Phillips and new girlfriend Harriet Sperling made their Wimbledon debut on Wednesday. Picture: Julian Finney/Getty Images
Peter is understood to have met and begun dating Ms Sperling less than a month after his split from longtime partner Lindsay Wallace.
Lindsay is an ex-classmate of Phillips’ sister Zara and first met Peter while they both attended Gordonstoun School in Moray, Scotland.
Sources told the Sun Peter and Wallace were “friends before their relationship blossomed” but they went their “separate ways” after their romance “simply ran its course”.
“His love life has certainly taken some very public twists and turns in recent years,” the source said of Peter’s relationship breakdown.
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Britain’s Queen Camilla applauds from the Royal Box during day ten of Wimbledon. Picture: Getty Images
Phillips, 46, was previously married to Canadian-born Autumn Phillips from 2008 until their divorce in 2021, and the former couple share two children.
Due to their similar ages, Princes William and Harry grew up close to Peter and Zara as well as Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie on the various royal estates.
“We had great fun growing up on our holidays, going to stay with (Queen Elizabeth II) at Sandringham, Balmoral and Windsor and we were incredibly lucky to be able to share a lot of our childhood time with her,” Phillips told Good Morning Britain last year.
Despite having no titles and serving no official role in the monarchy, both Zara and Peter are fiercely loyal to their mother Anne and uncle King Charles, as well as the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest grandsons: Prince William, Prince Harry and Peter Phillips. Picture: WPA Pool/Getty Images.
According to society magazine Tatler, Peter has grown closer to William, 41, amid the future King’s estrangement from Prince Harry and Princess Catherine’s cancer treatment.
In May, Phillips joined the Prince of Wales at a Buckingham Palace Garden Party, William’s first garden party since Kate Middleton stepped back from royal duty amidst her cancer battle.
“It was likely a support which Prince William valued hugely,” Tatler insider Harriet Johnston revealed.
“In recent months, sources have suggested Peter Phillips has become ‘like an older brother to Prince William’ – particularly as the Prince of Wales remains estranged from Prince Harry.”