- King Charles and Queen Camilla are potentially set for a busy day on June 6.
- The royal couple are expected to be at the royal wedding of Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips, who will marry Harriet Sperling in a private ceremony.
- While their attendance hasn’t been confirmed at that event, they will be at the Derby Day at Epsom Downs, which begins at 4 p.m. that same day.
The royal wedding of the summer is rapidly approaching—and King Charles and Queen Camilla might have a calendar clash with the event.
On June 6, Princess Anne’s son, Peter Phillips, will marry Harriet Sperling in a private ceremony in Gloucestershire. Though Charles and Camilla were expected to be at the intimate service at All Saints Church (and very well might still be attending), they’ve got another event booked the same day: the Derby Day at Epsom Downs, Hello! reported on May 29.
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This will mark the first time that the king and queen have attended the event since Charles took the throne in 2022. The royal couple serve as joint patrons of The Jockey Club, which owns and runs the racecourse in Surrey. Before them, Queen Elizabeth was patron for 68 years and only missed the race twice from 1952 until the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
“We are honored and thrilled that the king and queen will be joining us at Epsom Downs on Derby Day,” said Jim Allen, general manager of the Epsom Downs racecourse. “Their Majesties show great enthusiasm, interest, and support for horseracing in the U.K., and their attendance next week will be a proud moment for all of the team here and everyone connected with the racecourse.”
It has not been officially confirmed that Charles and Camilla will be present at Phillips’s and Sperling’s royal wedding, but they’re expected to be there—meaning that June 6 will be a busy day for the royal couple. While they’ll likely attend the ceremony itself before heading to Epsom Downs, Hello! reported that Charles and Camilla might have to miss the wedding reception. It has not been confirmed what time the ceremony will take place, but the race doesn’t begin until 4 p.m.
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Also expected to be in attendance are the Prince and Princess of Wales, the groom’s sister, Zara Tindall, and her husband, Mike Tindall, Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh.
“Peter and Harriet’s wedding is an intimate occasion with their close friends and immediate family around them in the Cotswolds,” a friend of the couple told Hello!. “It’s an area where they grew up and is very special to them both.”
Phillips’s uncle Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, were likely not invited to the wedding, as “it was probably not deemed appropriate to invite them,” the friend added. “It’s Peter and Harriet’s special day, and clearly their attendance would cause a distraction to the whole day.”
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As for Phillips’s cousin Prince Harry—whom he was once close to—the friend said, “Peter and Harry haven’t spoken for several years and have simply lost touch, so he hasn’t been invited.”
Per People, the wedding and the races are 100 miles apart, so it is “possible” that Charles and Camilla “will make both events,” the outlet reported.
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This marriage will be the second for both Phillips and Sperling. Phillips has two teenage daughters from his marriage to Autumn Kelly, which ended in 2021, and Sperling shares a teenage daughter with her ex-husband Antonio St. John Sperling.
