Inside Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly’s startling wedding that left the royal family ‘bewildered’

Their wedding in 2008 was a headline-grabbing affair but for the Royal Family the wedding of Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly was more memorable for other reasons. 

Peter was then 11th in line to the throne and was the first of Queen Elizabeth’s grandchildren to marry.

Peter is also the first – and so far only – grandchild of the late Queen whose marriage ended in divorce four years ago today. 

But 13 years before that, the Royal Family gathered at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle for the wedding, and guests included a young Kate Middleton.

What the wedding is most remembered for today is for the intimate snapshot into the family life of the royals it provided, thanks to a deal Peter and Autumn signed with Hello! magazine.

As a £500,000 wedding present to the couple, Hello! were given exclusive rights to picture most of the ceremony including inside the chapel and the reception in Frogmore House.

This resulted in a 100-page exclusive feature from the magazine, which included remarkably candid shots of the royals including images of the family laughing and one photo of Prince Harry giving his grandmother – Elizabeth II – a peck on the cheek.  

They were a far cry from the traditionally stage-managed wedding photographs released by the Royal Family. 

Peter Phillips and his new wife Autumn Kelly during their wedding day in May 2008. Hello! were given exclusive rights to picture most of the ceremony including inside the chapel

The wedding is remembered for the remarkably candid pictures taken of the Royal Family including this photo of Prince Harry kissing Queen Elizabeth II on the cheek 

Peter and Autumn emerge from St George’s Chapel. Senior members of the family – including the late Queen – were allegedly less than impressed with the couple’s deal with Hello! magazine 

A young princess Eugenie, princess Beatrice and prince Harry at the wedding. The pictures were a far cry from the traditionally stage-managed photographs

However, senior members of the family – including the late Queen – were allegedly less than impressed and felt blindsided by the publication of the pictures.

Buckingham Palace released a statement shortly afterwards claiming that the deal was a ‘serious error of judgement’.

And politicians at the time also chimed in with the Labour MP Ian Gibson claiming the British public will be shocked to see their monarch in those pages.

‘She is the Queen, not a footballer’s wife,’ he added.

Despite the drama surrounding their wedding, the run-up to Peter and Autumn’s walk down the aisle was straight out of a fairytale.

The couple met at the 2003 Montreal Grand Prix. Autumn – a Canadian management consultant from a tough working-class suburb in Montreal – was not immediately aware that her new boyfriend was royalty.

It was a further six weeks before she found out that Peter’s mother was Princess Anne and that he was at the time 11th in line for the throne.  

Over 300 guests attended the ceremony including 70 members of Canadian-born Autumn’s family.

The wedding guests outside St George’s Chapel. Over 300 guests attended the ceremony including 70 members of Canadian-born Autumn’s family

Prince Harry with Zara Phillips. Peter’s younger sister was one of the bridesmaids who all wore pistachio green strapless gowns designed by Vera Wang

Also in attendance was Zara Phillips’ now-husband Mike Tindall, Kate Middleton who was there despite William being away at another wedding in Kenya and Harry’s then-girlfriend Chelsy Davy.   

Speaking to Hello! in 2008, Autumn said: ‘I was frightened of walking down the aisle. But when I got to the top of the stairs and saw how many of our friends and family had turned out to support us, I stopped being scared and actually enjoyed it.’

Her wedding dress was created by British designer Sassi Holford and consisted of a fitted bodice made of hand-beaded lace, a silk duchesse skirt and beaded French lace shrug. 

Peter’s younger sister Zara was one of the bridesmaids, who all wore pistachio green strapless gowns designed by Vera Wang. 

Autumn’s arrival in the Royal Family was seen as a sign of change. State school-educated, she grew up in a home where money was tight but was remembered at her old school as someone who liked to party 

The couple have two children together. In 2010 they welcomed Savannah who became the Queen’s first great-grandchild and another daughter, Isla, in 2012. 

In 2020 the couple described their separation as ‘sad but amicable’ and said it was ‘the best course of action for their two children and ongoing friendship’.

The couple’s profitable wedding deal with Hello! would not be their last financial deal.

Peter and Autumn at Harry and Meghan’s wedding in 2018. The couple’s profitable wedding deal with Hello! would not be their last lucrative money making scheme

Autumn’s presence was seen as a sign of change. State school-educated, she grew up in a home where money was tight

Eight years later, Peter’s celebrity management company was paid £750,000 to oversee a £150-a-head street party in The Mall to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday.

In 2020 Peter faced criticism for using his family connections to sell milk on Chinese TV. 

But Peter and Autumn have made the brutal discovery that by financially enriching themselves through their royal links, they have opened up their private lives to scrutiny. 

For a long time, Peter filled a special role in the Queen’s family. He kept an eye on his cousins Prince William and Prince Harry, who looked up to him and was their constant companion in the dark days immediately after the death of Princess Diana. 

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