💎 “WILL SHE BE GIVEN ACCESS TO ONE OF PRINCESS ANNE’S MOST TREASURED TIARAS?” — HARRIET SPERLING’S WEDDING LOOK IS ALREADY BECOMING A ROYAL MYSTERY As Harriet Sperling prepares to marry Peter Phillips in the next major royal wedding, one question is beginning to dominate the conversation among royal watchers. It is not just about the dress, the guest list, or the ceremony itself. Many are now wondering whether Harriet could wear one of Princess Anne’s historic tiaras, a choice that would carry far more meaning than simple bridal sparkle. In royal weddings, every detail is watched closely, and a tiara can quietly signal family approval, tradition, and where a bride stands within the royal circle. If Harriet does appear wearing one of Anne’s pieces, it could become the moment everyone talks about long after the vows. tt

The royal wedding of the summer is coming up in just over a week, as Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips marries Harriet Sperling on June 6 in a private ceremony in Gloucestershire.

The question that currently hangs in the balance—other than what Sperling’s wedding dress will look like—is this: Will the bride wear a tiara? For context, when Phillips married his first wife, Autumn Kelly, in 2008, she did wear a tiara—specifically the Princess Royal’s Festoon Tiara, the same tiara Anne wore in her 1973 engagement portraits with her first husband, Mark Phillips.

Per Tatler, the Festoon Tiara is Anne’s “most well-known tiara” and was a gift to her from the World Wide Shipping Group, given to her after she christened one of their ships in 1973. Anne wears the tiara often up to the present day.

Because Kelly wore the Festoon Tiara when she married Phillips, “there is already a clear precedent for Harriet Sperling being loaned royal jewelry despite not having a title,” jeweler Nilesh Rakholia tells InStyle. “Within royal and aristocratic weddings, tiaras are often more about family inclusion and occasion dressing than formal rank.”

Though Anne carries a princess title, her children do not; Sperling will not receive a title when she marries into the royal family, either. Phillips and Kelly finalized their divorce in 2021 and share two daughters; Sperling has also been married before, and she, too, has a teenage daughter.

“What makes this wedding particularly interesting is that it is also a second marriage for both Peter and Harriet,” says Rakholia, who is the founder of Abelini. “Historically, second royal weddings tend to lean much more understated in their jewelry language, with less emphasis on overt bridal grandeur.”

A clear example of this is when Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles married in 2005—the second wedding for each. “Camilla notably chose not to wear a tiara for her civil wedding or subsequent blessing at Windsor,” Rakholia says. “Instead, she wore a Philip Treacy feathered headpiece alongside much softer pearl and diamond jewelry, which created a more relaxed and modern bridal aesthetic compared to traditional royal bridal dressing.”

“That choice quietly established a modern precedent for senior royal second weddings moving away from heavily ceremonial jewelry,” he adds.

A friend of the couple’s speaking to Hello! described Phillips and Sperling’s upcoming wedding as an “intimate occasion.” As such, “That makes it more likely Harriet would favor jewelry that feels elegant and personal rather than heavily dynastic,” Rakholia tells InStyle.

If Sperling were to wear a tiara, he predicts that Anne’s Meander Tiara is a strong contender, as it feels “refined rather than excessively grand.” Tatler reported that this piece was given to then-Princess Elizabeth for her 1947 wedding to Prince Philip, but the monarch never wore that tiara in public, loaning it instead to her only daughter. Poignantly, Anne’s daughter Zara Phillips wore it when she married Mike Tindall in 2011.

“The Meander has a much cleaner, more architectural silhouette than some of the larger royal tiaras,” Rakholia says. “That makes it feel surprisingly contemporary, especially for a wedding expected to be more understated.”

Other tiaras in Anne’s collection include the Aquamarine Pine Flower Tiara, a piece from Cartier that was given as a wedding gift to the Queen Mother and then passed down to Anne for her own wedding in 1973. Anne chose to go with a different option, though, and this tiara has never been worn by a royal bride.

The Halo Scroll Tiara was given to Princess Elizabeth as an 18th birthday gift by her mother, but she never wore it in public; instead, Princess Margaret, her younger sister, wore it frequently throughout her life, and Anne began wearing it in 1967. After a state visit to New Zealand in 1970, Anne placed this particular tiara in the vault, where it remained until Kate Middleton wore it to marry Prince William in 2011.

Another tiara option is Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara, worn by a number of royal brides on their wedding days—including Queen Elizabeth, Princess Anne, and Princess Beatrice.

Though there are many options, “We could just as easily see Harriet wear pearl earrings, a delicate diamond rivière necklace, or one of Princess Anne’s more understated heirloom pieces instead,” Rakholia says. “Anne’s Grima pearl earrings would feel particularly appropriate, because they reflect her signature understated elegance without making the bridal styling feel overly ceremonial.”

“That approach would still acknowledge royal tradition while keeping the overall aesthetic intimate and modern,” he adds.

This royal wedding “feels much more centered on family inclusion and emotional intimacy than royal theatre,” Rakholia says. “Whether Harriet wears a tiara or not, the jewelry will probably be chosen to reflect acceptance into Princess Anne’s immediate family rather than formal royal status.”