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Princess Anne's son Peter Phillips is set to tie the knot with NHS nurse Harriet Sperling, and the wedding will not be attended by the groom's cousin, Prince Harry.
As several royal family members, including King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Kate Middleton, are expected to attend the ceremony, taking place in just two weeks, it has been reported that the wedding invitations were not extended to Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle.
As per former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond, the key reason why the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not made it on the guest list is to not draw attention from the actual event.
Talking to Mirror, Jennie said, "Wedding guest lists are so often a nightmare! Who to include, who to leave out? Who will be offended? And the biggest no-no is to take attention away from the bride on her big day."
"That's undoubtedly what would happen if Harry, with or without Meghan, came to Peter and Harriet’s wedding. So it seems they have taken the most sensible course, which is to leave the Sussex's off the guest list, along with uncle Andrew and his ex, Sarah."
After Harry and Meghan quit their royal duties in 2020 and moved to California, the prince's relationship with his family took a major hit.
Jennie shared that it would be no surprise to Harry that he was not invited to his cousin's wedding amid the strained family ties.
"It's clear that the rift between Harry and his father and brother has had repercussions throughout the whole family," Jennie explained. "It's an incredibly sensitive situation and all the rest of the family can really do is try not to cause further upset."
She added, "I think Harry will understand, but he used to be close to his cousin, Peter, and it's only natural that he will feel rather excluded on such a big occasion."
Talking about the Princess Royal's son, Jennie said, "Peter is a very dependable, jovial guy and he has shown in the past that he can be a buffer between the warring brothers. But I think his loyalty now lies with William and I'm sure his friendship has been invaluable through the past few very difficult years."
Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling are set to exchange vows at All Saints Church in Kemble, Cirencester, on June 6.
The Princess Royal's son, who announced his engagement to Sperling in August, was previously married to Autumn Kelly, with whom he shares two daughters, Isla and Savannah.
