The royal family, including the King and Queen and the Prince and Princess of Wales, are expected to turn out in force for a rare event this weekend.

The King’s nephew, Peter Phillips, will marry his fiancee Harriet Sperling in a Cotswolds church on Saturday in what will be the closest we are likely to see to a royal wedding for some years.

While confirmed details are scarce, the guest list is expected to be star-studded and include most senior royals. But there is reportedly no room at the historic church for his estranged cousin, Prince Harry, and his wife Meghan Markle.

“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 magazine.

“It’s an area where they grew up and is very special to them both.”

Phillips, 48, is the eldest grandchild of the late Queen Elizabeth and the only son of her only daughter, the King’s treasured sister Princess Anne, from her first marriage to Mark Phillips.

He will wed 45-year-old Sperling, a former NHS nurse, in a ceremony that Tatler magazine has dubbed the “most hotly anticipated royal wedding of the year”. (Never mind that Phillips is technically not a royal – he is 19th in line to the throne.)

It is a second wedding for both bride and groom. Phillips was previously married to Autumn Kelly from 2008 until 2021 and shares two teenage daughters with her.

Kelly, to whom he reportedly remains close, is expected to be among 150 guests at All Saints Church in Cirencester for Saturday’s ceremony.

Peter Phillips (left, rear) with brother-in-law Mike Tindall, Zara Tindall and Princess Beatrice at an Easter church service in 2023. Photo: Getty

The King and Queen will be in the congregation, although a double date confirmed in recent days means they’re in for a busy day. They also have a scheduled outing to Epsom Downs racecourse – 170 kilometres away.

Prince William and Kate will also make a rare showing, which has sparked speculation some or all of their children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – might be in the wedding party.

Eyes will also be on the York sisters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, who are also cousins of Phillips. It will be their first public royal event since their father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, lost his titles late last year.

Mountbatten-Windsor and his former wife Sarah Ferguson are not thought to have been invited.

“It was probably not deemed appropriate to invite them. It’s Peter and Harriet’s special day, and clearly their attendance would cause a distraction to the whole day,” a source told Hello magazine.

Also missing will be the California-based Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Though Harry was once close to his cousin, the couple’s more recent estrangement from the wider royal family is thought to be the main reason.

“Peter and Harry haven’t spoken for several years and have simply lost touch, so he hasn’t been invited,” the source said.

Harry is said to be disappointed by the lack of invitation – and has blamed it on one person.

“Harry expected to at least get an invite. This is his first cousin and someone he grew up with and has always been very close to,” a source said.

“It is true that in the last few years they have drifted but Harry says he’s 100 per cent sure William is the reason that he’s been getting the cold shoulder from Peter.”

Phillips famously walked between the estranged brothers at the late queen’s funeral.

Peter Phillips (centre)with his cousins William and Harry and other royals at the late queen’s funeral. Photo: Getty

Harry was at Phillips’ first wedding in 2008, while Phillips was invited to his own wedding in 2018. But he isn’t believed to have seen his cousin since the King’s coronation in 2023.

“He says it’s obvious William has pressured Peter to take sides and he says this wedding situation just proves it because why else would he not be invited?” the source said.

“As far as Harry is concerned the only possible reason for Peter to snub him is pressure from William.”

After Saturday’s ceremony, guests are invited back to Princess Anne’s Gatcombe Park estate, about 20 minutes away, for the reception. It is also Phillips’ childhood home and he still lives on the 300-hectare estate, as does his sister Zara Tindall and her family.

There is expected to be another key difference in Saturday’s ceremony from Phillips’ first wedding in 2008.

On that occasion, the couple sold exclusive photographs in a lucrative magazine deal. It drew criticism – and an increasing sensitivity about exploiting royal status, and is unlikely to be repeated any time soon.