The Princess of Wales is rather famously not a girl’s girl. Princess Kate does not get along well with most women, especially women she views as threats to her position or her marriage. Sources always claim that Kate has a handful of old Marlborough friends or St. Andrews friends, but I have my doubts. I think Kate’s social circle is basically her mother, her sister and (a few of) the wives of Prince William’s friends. Kate could have had an ally and friend in her sister-in-law, but unfortunately for everyone involved, Kate decided to be consistently horrible to the Duchess of Sussex for years and years. Well, now that Prince William’s cousin Peter Phillips will marry Harriet Sperling in a matter of days, it looks like Kate finally has the (white) sister-in-law of her dreams. Harriet, you in danger, girl.
Royal wedding bells will ring for Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling next weekend, marking not just the start of married life for the happy couple, but also the official arrival of a new, close companion for the Princess of Wales.
Take one look at the NHS nurse fiancée of Princess Anne’s son, and it’s not difficult to understand why she’ll be a celebrated new arrival for Kate. Not only are Kate and Harriet of similar backgrounds, with both hailing from upper-middle-class families in neighbouring Berkshire and Gloucestershire, respectively, but they’re also of a similar age, with Harriet being one year older at 45. Both also have a keen interest in fashion, each owning an unmistakably similar wardrobe filled with brands like Beulah, ME+ EM and Self Portrait.
Their interests, meanwhile, are similarly intertwined: Kate is an avid supporter of all things childhood development with her Early Years work, while Harriet is a trained paediatric nurse specialist – and according to an online bio, ‘passionate about early brain development in babies and seeing children thrive’.
Enter the future Mrs Phillips, a like-minded, discreet ally for Kate – a relationship she’s scarcely enjoyed, given Meghan is living in Montecito, having waved goodbye to royal life, while Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie have been shrouded in scandal since the House of York’s associations with paedophile financier, Jeffrey Epstein, came to light.
Harriet is a talented freelance writer and recently contributed a candid essay to Woman Alive, detailing her experiences as a single mother and her unwavering Christian faith. Writing is a skill Kate also possesses, having penned a moving essay, The Power of Human Connection in a Distracted World, via the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.
Meanwhile, Harriet’s open-armed acceptance into the Royal Family ahead of her engagement last August appears similar to that of Kate’s experience. Harriet was seen laughing with King Charles and chatting with Zara Tindall at Royal Ascot last year. She was given the ultimate seal of approval as she arrived at the racecourse in Berkshire in the official carriage procession with senior royals. Kate, meanwhile, quickly gained a deep sense of respect from senior members of the Royal Family, including the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Now a regular at Wimbledon and Cheltenham alike, Harriet has earned praise for her fashion choices that appear to be inspired by the Princess of Wales’s immaculate royal style. For her first royal Easter service, Harriet took a leaf out of Kate’s playbook as she wore pieces from four of her favourite brands – and her wedding dress next weekend will no doubt be an even bigger hit.
I laughed out loud at “Writing is a skill Kate also possesses…” IS IT?? I said last year that the British tabloids’ coverage of Harriet showed multiple things all at once. One, the British press is starved for interesting, fashionable and attractive royal or royal-adjacent women, which is sort of an insult to Kate and her closet full of buttons and Victorian coatdresses. Two, that the excitement over Harriet’s arrival would irritate Kate to no end, and if Kate really starts to view Harriet as a threat to her turf, Kate would make Harriet’s life a misery. Kate isn’t going to like this “Harriet is the sister-in-law Kate never had” narrative, because Kate never wanted a sister-in-law of any kind.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
-
The Princess of Wales during her visit to “Salvador Allende” Scuola dell’infanzia in Reggio Emilia, to view education in nature, on the second day of her visit to Italy.
The visit to the area focuses on early childhood development and forms part of a high-level fact-finding mission to explore leading international approaches to supporting young children and those who care for them
Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales
Where: Reggio Emilia, Italy
When: 14 May 2026
Credit: Cover Images
-
Harriet Sperling and Peter Phillips attend the tenth day of the Wimbledon tennis championships held at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club
Featuring: Harriet Sperling, Peter Phillips
Where: London, United Kingdom
When: 10 Jul 2024
Credit: Ray Tang/Cover Images**STRICTLY EDITORIAL USE ONLY**
-
Royals during day one of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse
Featuring: Harriet Sperling and Peter Philips
Where: Ascot, United Kingdom
When: 17 Jun 2025
Credit: Cover Images
-
Royals during day one of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse
Featuring: Harriet Sperling
Where: Ascot, United Kingdom
When: 17 Jun 2025
Credit: Doug Peters/PA Images/INSTARimages**NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
The Princess of Wales arriving for the Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall, London
Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales
Where: London, United Kingdom
When: 19 Nov 2025
Credit: Yui Mok/PA Images/INSTARimages**NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
Royals attending the Easter Service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle
Featuring: Harriet Sperling, Peter Philips
Where: Windsor, United Kingdom
When: 05 Apr 2026
Credit: Cover Images**NOT AVAILABLE FOR HELLO MAGAZINE**
-
The Princess of Wales attends a wreath laying ceremony and parade commemorating Anzac Day at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, central London
Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales
Where: London, United Kingdom
When: 25 Apr 2026
Credit: Cover Images**NOT AVAILABLE FOR HELLO MAGAZINE**
-
The Princess of Wales during a visit to University of East London for the launch of the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood social and emotional development guide
Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales
Where: London, United Kingdom
When: 06 May 2026
Credit: Cover Images**NOT AVAILABLE FOR HELLO MAGAZINE**
-
The Princess of Wales in Italy on the second day of her visit, visiting Remida, the city’s ‘creative recycling centre’, where she met with local business leaders who support early childhood by
providing materials to use in pre-schoolsFeaturing: Catherine, Princess of Wales
Where: Reggio Emilia, Italy
When: 14 May 2026
Credit: Cover Images
