šŸ‘‘ ā€œI HAD TO LEAVEā€¦ā€ — WHY KING CHARLES SKIPPED PRINCESS ANNE’S SON’S WEDDING RECEPTION SPARKS ROYAL BACKLASH 😲.tt

The Real Reason Charles Missed Anne’s Son’s Wedding Reception Sparks Backlash After Report of Her Falling Out with Camilla

The royal couple made a swift exit from the event.
ATHENS, GREECE - MAY 22: Princess Anne, Princess Royal meets with Greek President Konstantinos Tasoulas at the Presidential Mansion on May 22, 2026 in Athens, Greece; ONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 2: King Charles III with New Brunswick Regional Chief, Joanna Bernard, during an audience with The National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak) and Regional Chiefs and Elders from the Assembly of First Nations at Buckingham Palace on June 2, 2026 in London, England; BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - MAY 19: King Charles and Queen Camilla play traditional Irish bodhran drums, as they watch dancers perform, on the day they join organisers and performers to mark The Fleadh, the world's largest festival of traditional Irish music, song and dance coming to Belfast in August, on May 19, 2026 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Milos Bicanski/Getty Images; Yui Mok – WPA Pool/Getty Images; Toby Melville – Pool/Getty Images.

Princess Anne’s son, Peter Phillips, married Harriet Sperling on Saturday, June 6, 2026, in an intimate ceremony surrounded by most of the British royal family. Among the guests wereĀ King CharlesĀ andĀ Queen Camilla, but it turns out the high-ranking members didn’t stick around for the reception.

Charles and Camilla left his nephew’s big day early to attend Derby Day at Epsom Downs Racecourse, a move that has drawn widespread criticism for seemingly prioritizing royal duties and personal interests over a major family event.

According toĀ RadarOnline, sources with direct knowledge of the royal schedule claimed Charles and Camilla’s decision to leave early was anticipated. Still, they faced backlash, with some feeling their speedy exit overshadowed Peter and Harriet’s wedding.

KEMBLE, ENGLAND - JUNE 06: Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling depart from their Royal wedding alongside bridesmaids Isla Phillips, Savannah Phillips and Georgina Sperling at All Saints' Church on June 06, 2026 in Kemble, England. Peter Phillips, the son of Princess Anne, Princess Royal and eldest grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II, married NHS Nurse and writer Harriet Sperling during a ceremony at All Saints' Church in Kemble today.
Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling leave their wedding at All Saints’ Church on June 06, 2026, in Kemble, England.Chris Jackson/Getty Images.

ā€œThere will be people who understand the importance of the Derby to the King, but others will inevitably see it as an unusual decision to leave a close family wedding so quickly,ā€ one source told the outlet.

Another added, ā€œThe optics are difficult because weddings are rare family milestones. When senior royals leave before the celebrations are fully underway, it naturally attracts attention and sparks debate about priorities.ā€

ā€œSupporters will argue Charles was fulfilling longstanding commitments connected to the monarchy and horse racing,ā€ the insider continued. ā€œCritics, however, are already portraying the move as a rapid exit from an important family event.ā€

Charles and Camilla’s early exit also comes amid rumors of a rift between the queen and Anne. In January 2026, theĀ National ExaminerĀ reported that Anne was sticking by her disgraced brother former Prince Andrew’s side. Andrew has recently faced renewed scrutiny due to his years-long friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

A source told theĀ National ExaminerĀ that Anne felt Charles’s decision to strip Andrew of his royal titles and duties was too harsh. ā€œAnne feels this whole thing has gone way beyond what’s fair,ā€ they explained. ā€œShe believes their late mother [Queen Elizabeth II] would have wanted this handled with far more discretion and dignity, especially given Andrew’s years of service.ā€

In Anne’s eyes, Andrew ā€œalready paid a huge price,ā€ and she didn’t think it was ā€œright to keep kicking a man when he’s down.ā€ Her defense of Andrew reportedly ā€œled to some very fiery arguments behind palace walls,ā€ particularly with Camilla, who couldn’t believe Anne was ā€œdefending what she sees as the indefensible.ā€

ā€œ[She] thinks Andrew’s lucky he’s still being allowed to breathe British air,ā€ the source said of Camilla, noting that she even ā€œmade it her mission to thwart any efforts to getā€ Charles to ā€œsoftenā€ toward Andrew, which has further upset Anne.

ā€œAnne has not taken kindly to Camilla steamrolling in to try and take control,ā€ the source alleged. ā€œIt’s reopened all the old tensions between them.ā€