Peter Phillips‘s fiancee has joined the Royal Family to take part in the notorious ‘Balmoral Test’.
Harriet Sperling, a 45-year-old nurse, joined her husband to be and the other royals for their annual summer retreat in the Scottish Highlands.
It is understood that during this visit, Harriet will face the unofficial ‘test’ that potential members of the family are put through on royal protocol during their first visit to Balmoral.
While other royals first trip to Balmoral took place years before their engagement – with Kate Middleton making the visit two years before she married Prince William – Harriet’s visit comes less than a month after her engagement to Peter was announced.
But despite the hasty trip to Scotland, royal insider have revealed that the mother-of- one enjoyed her time with the royals.
Harriet reportedly took part in a bonding trip with Peter’s sister – Zara Tindall – who she joined on an electric mountain bike trip along with her children.
She also joined other family members horse riding around the estate.
Because Peter is ‘smitten’ with his fiancee, it is reported that, Harriet is likely to pass the test with ‘flying colours’.
Harriet Sperling flashes her engagement ring as she and Peter Phillips announce their engagement earlier this month
The Prince and Princess of Wales on their way to Balmoral where they will be joined by Peter and Harriet
King Charles III and Queen Camilla close to the Balmoral estate
‘Everyone knows Peter is smitten and his family have accepted Harriet into the set up so she will likely pass the infamous Balmoral Test with flying colours,’ a source said.
Princess Anne’s son, who is 19th in line to the throne, will marry Harriet after a year of dating.
The couple said in a statement: ‘Mr Peter Phillips, the son of HRH The Princess Royal and Captain Mark Phillips and Ms Harriet Sperling, daughter of the late Mr Rupert Sanders and Mrs Mary Sanders of Gloucestershire, have today confirmed their official engagement.
‘Both families were informed jointly of the announcement and were delighted with the wonderful news of their engagement. Their Majesties The King and Queen, The Prince and Princess of Wales have been informed of the announcement. No date has been officially set for the wedding.’
Before her trip to Balmoral, Harriet had been warmly welcomed by the Royal Family at previous engagements.
Earlier this year, she was seen laughing with King Charles and chatting with Peter’s sister Zara and his cousin Princess Beatrice at Ascot after she travelled in the official carriage procession with senior royals.
Harriet also affectionately and publicly planted a kiss on her fiancé’s lips as they watched the horse racing from the royal enclosure.
The couple announced they will marry and showed her diamond engagement ring in an exclusive interview and photoshoot with HELLO!
Balmoral Castle where Harriet will reportedly take part in the ‘Balmoral test’. This is the unofficial ‘test’ that potential members of the family are put through on royal protocol during their first visit to the estate
The Princess Royal on her way to attend church close to Balmoral
The Queen with Peter and Harriet in September 2024. Harriet’s trip to Balmoral is not her first meeting with the royals
They revealed their relationship to the world last May when they were seen strolling hand-in-hand at Badminton Horse Trials in Gloucestershire.
Peter embarked on their new romance just weeks after his split from his previous partner Lindsay Wallace, after reportedly meeting Harriet at a sports event.
The smitten pair have since attended an array of high society events together, including Wimbledon and the Badminton Horse Trials – as well as Cheltenham Races in January.
Peter was previously married to Autumn Kelly from 2008 until 2021 with whom he shares two children.
What his first wedding is most remembered for today is 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.
Harriet with Peter’s sister – Zara Tindall – at Ascot earlier this year. The nurse reportedly enjoyed a bonding trip with Zara and her children
Harriet was seen in animated conversation with an amused King Charles in June 2025
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’.
After his split from Autumn, Peter had a three-year relationship with Scottish divorcee Lindsay Wallace which ended last year.
Behind the scenes, Harriet is mother to one daughter, Georgina, born in 2012, from her previous marriage to private school-educated fitness instructor Antonio St John Sperling.
She also boasts wealthy connections and is related to the Duke of Gloucester through her late father.
