Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling included a touching tribute to Queen Elizabeth II in their wedding.
Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth
The couple married at All Saints church in Kemble, Gloucester on Saturday (06.06.26) and they chose lily of the valley, a favourite bloom of the groom’s late grandmother, to feature in the bride’s “bowl of cream” bouquet along with white and cream sweet peas, astilbe and jasmine, as well as myrtle, in keeping with royal tradition.
The flowers – which grow in the grounds of Buckingham Palace – featured in the late queen’s Coronation bouquet back in 1954, and also in her flowers when she married Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey in 1947.
Flower designer Millie Richardson told the Daily Telegraph: “Lily of the valley was definitely requested for its regal connotation. Myrtle is a symbol of beauty, grace and love and was requested on the same basis. It’s included in every royal wedding bouquet.”
Peter and first wife Autumn Kelly’s two daughters, Savannah, 15, and 14-year-old Isla were bridesmaids alongside Harriet’s daughter Georgina, 13, whose father is the bride’s ex-husband Antonio St John Sperling.
And the teenagers’ flowers also co-ordinated with the bride and groom, with small spray roses incorporated in their posies, as well as nigella in pale blue to coordinate with Peter’s buttonhole flower.
Millie added: “The girls’ head pieces also have been exclusively created with the lily of the valley flower.
“They will be wearing nigella [love-in-a-mist] as it’s a seasonal-appropriate flower and Harriet loves blue. She loves the pale sky blue tone.”
In making their floristry decisions, Harriet and Peter were “eco-conscious” and “very mindful of … how we are protecting the planet” and so most of their flowers were as local as possible.
Millie said: “As they are sustainability-conscious, a lot of the flowers are British-grown and British-based.
“They are sustainably aware about where their flowers are coming from, which is an important focus from King Charles. There’s an awful lot of thought sourcing the materials for this wedding.
“The majority of foliage and flowers are coming from less than 12 miles away. What Harriet and Peter want to show is the rhythm of the season, ensuring the design is formed off the back of what is available…
“It’s striking the balance between using seasonal materials and flowers to make arrangements feel like they belong, of the moment and designed with thought and precision to make it appropriately smart for an important regal occasion.”
Floral displays included roses, foxglove and Sudden’s apricot, as well as honeysuckle, Lonicera japonica, jasmine, orange blossom, forget-me-not , corncockle, and peonies, and the displays and trees were to be replanted after the wedding.
Millie said: “These flowers and trees are sourced locally and they will be planted so they live on after the wedding – it’s not a single entity.”
