Princess Anne’s new daughter-in-law, Harriet Phillips, has offered a rare insight into her relationship with Kate Middleton, describing the Princess of Wales as friendly and welcoming. Her comments come five months after a royal wedding that brought much of the Windsor family together — but conspicuously left out Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Nearly five months after marrying Peter Phillips, Harriet is sharing what it has been like getting to know her new royal relatives. The former nurse spoke to HELLO! magazine on November 2 about meeting Charles and Camilla, her introduction to William and Kate, and how the family made her feel welcome.

Her description of Kate was particularly affectionate.

“I can look to Catherine for advice and guidance,” Harriet told the magazine, calling the future Queen “very open-hearted.”

The remarks provide an unusually personal account of how a newcomer has been received by one of the monarchy’s most prominent couples.

But they also arrive against a more complicated family backdrop.

Peter and Harriet’s summer wedding was attended by Charles, Camilla, William, Kate, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, and several other prominent royals. Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie were there, too.

Harry and Meghan, however, were absent.

Their absence was widely reported at the time, although the couple’s invitation status was never officially confirmed. The private wedding therefore offered another illustration of how rarely the Duke and Duchess of Sussex now appear alongside the wider royal family.

Harriet’s First Encounter With Kate Was Surprisingly Ordinary

Harriet’s introduction to William and Kate did not take place at a glittering Palace reception or elaborate royal banquet.

Instead, the families were vacationing in the Isles of Scilly, off the southwestern coast of England.

According to Harriet’s account, the children helped make the introduction feel natural.

Peter has two daughters, Savannah and Isla, from his previous marriage to Autumn Kelly. Harriet has a teenage daughter, Georgina, from her first marriage. William and Kate, meanwhile, are parents to Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

The children were enjoying themselves in the water, creating an informal setting in which the adults could get acquainted.

Harriet recalled that the encounter was relaxed, although she remained conscious of the respect associated with meeting members of the royal family.

Her comments about Catherine suggest that the initial introduction developed into a relationship in which Harriet feels comfortable asking for advice. That distinction matters.

Harriet was not simply praising Kate’s public appearances or charitable achievements. She was describing someone she believes she could approach personally while traversing unfamiliar territory.

For a woman who spent more than two decades working in nursing before marrying into the royal family, that reassurance may carry considerable weight.

The two women also share an interest in early childhood development.

Harriet has become patron of Home-Start Cotswolds, an organization supporting parents and young children. Kate has made early childhood development a major focus of her charitable work through the Royal Foundation Center for Early Childhood.

Their mutual interests offer another possible foundation for their developing relationship.

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A Royal Wedding That Brought Almost Everyone Together

The June 6 ceremony at All Saints Church in Kemble, Gloucestershire, was intended to be a private family celebration.

But the concentration of senior royals turned the occasion into a major public gathering.

Charles and Camilla arrived to celebrate the King’s nephew’s marriage. William and Kate joined Princess Anne, Zara and Mike Tindall, and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.

Peter’s cousins Beatrice and Eugenie also attended with their husbands, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank.

Despite persistent rain, well-wishers gathered near the church to watch the arrivals. Harriet wore a high-neck lace wedding gown designed by Emilia Wickstead, while the couple’s three daughters took part as bridesmaids.

The ceremony was followed by celebrations at Princess Anne’s Gatcombe Park estate.

For Peter, the occasion marked his second marriage and a new phase following his separation from Autumn Kelly.

For Harriet, it was the culmination of a relationship that began in an ordinary setting: watching their daughters play hockey.

Yet the family gathering also attracted attention for those who were missing.

Harry, Peter’s first cousin, did not attend. Neither did Meghan.

That was particularly noticeable given their history with the groom.

Harry attended Peter’s first wedding in 2008, and Peter and Autumn were among the guests at Harry and Meghan’s Windsor wedding in 2018.

This time, the family celebration proceeded without the Sussexes.

Beatrice and Eugenie’s Presence Contributes Another Layer to the Story

Among the more interesting details of the wedding was Beatrice and Eugenie’s attendance.

The sisters have maintained personal connections with Harry over the years, particularly Eugenie, whose friendship with her cousin has remained a frequent subject of royal coverage.

Their appearance alongside William, Kate, Charles and Anne demonstrated that relationships within the extended family do not necessarily follow the same divisions associated with the Sussexes’ departure from royal duties.

The York sisters have also faced difficulties of their own following the controversies surrounding their father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Their attendance showed that they remained part of an important family celebration despite those circumstances.

However, it would be going too far to interpret their presence as evidence that they rejected Harry and Meghan or chose sides in a private family dispute.

A wedding invitation is not a declaration of allegiance. Nevertheless, the contrast was difficult to miss.

Beatrice and Eugenie were photographed participating in a gathering attended by the senior royals. Harry and Meghan, who have lived in California since stepping back from royal duties in 2020, were not there.

ITV News reported at the time that Harry and Peter had reportedly lost contact in the years since the Duke of Sussex relocated to the United States.

Other reports suggested the Sussexes had not been invited, although no official guest list was published and the circumstances surrounding their absence remain unconfirmed.

The distinction is important, particularly when a private family event becomes the basis for wider claims about relationships inside the monarchy.

Kate’s Growing Role Inside the Extended Royal Family

Harriet’s interview is noteworthy for another reason: it gives a glimpse of Catherine’s influence beyond ceremonial appearances and official engagements.

As the Princess of Wales, Kate occupies a central position in the monarchy’s future alongside Prince William.

But her public role also includes the quieter work of maintaining relationships across the extended family.

Harriet’s remarks suggest that Catherine has become someone she regards as accessible and encouraging.

The newcomer also spoke warmly about Princess Anne, recalling an informal first meeting in the garden at Gatcombe, where they sat alongside each other drinking tea.

She described Charles and Camilla as welcoming, too, thinking about the unusual experience of meeting the King and Queen at Royal Ascot.

Taken together, the comments portray a family environment that Harriet says has been considerably less intimidating than outsiders might expect.

They also provide a different perspective from the public disagreements that have dominated royal coverage since Harry and Meghan’s departure.

That does not mean Harriet’s experience contradicts the Sussexes’ accounts of their own relationships with the family.

Different people can experience the same institution in very different ways, notably under different circumstances and at different stages of their lives.

Harriet’s positive account stands on its own.

Still, it contributes to an emerging public portrait of Kate as a figure relatives can turn to for support, especially as the monarchy prepares for its next generation of leadership.

The Sussex Absence Remains the Unanswered Question

The most revealing aspect of Harriet’s interview may be what it says about the royal family she has joined, rather than what it says about those missing from her wedding.

Her experiences have been formed by welcoming encounters with Charles and Camilla, an informal introduction to William and Kate, and growing family connections through Peter’s children.

For Harry and Meghan, the situation stays different.

Their absence from the June celebration was another indication of the distance separating their lives in California from the family gatherings that continue in Britain.

But that distance cannot be measured entirely through wedding photographs or guest lists.

There is no public evidence that Harriet’s comments about Catherine were intended as criticism of Meghan, nor has Harriet suggested that her wedding was intended to make a statement about the Sussexes.

The larger significance rests in the contrast between the two developments.

One woman has recently entered the extended royal family and is publicly describing the support she has received. Another branch of that family remains largely outside its regular gatherings.

Whether those circumstances eventually change will depend on relationships far more complicated than a single summer wedding.

For now, Harriet’s account gives a glimpse of the family life continuing around William and Kate, even as Harry and Meghan remain physically and personally distant from much of the royal circle.

The cordiality Harriet describes may help explain why Catherine occupies such an important place in the monarchy’s future. The Sussexes’ absence, meanwhile, suggests that not every royal family relationship has found the same ease.