Coming for Kate’s crown: First it was the clothes, then came the same hobbies and holidays, and now it’s a matching charitable endeavour… just why IS Peter Phillips’ wife becoming a copy Kate

There is no better role model for a rookie royal than the Princess of Wales, and Harriet Sperling has clearly been taking notes. 

The 46-year-old former NHS specialist nurse wed Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips on June 6 at All Saints Church in Kemble, Gloucestershire, in a wedding she described as a ‘slice of heaven’.

In her first interview since the royal wedding, Harriet told Hello! magazine she shares a special bond with the future queen and frequently turns to ‘open-hearted’ Kate for ‘advice and guidance’. 

And there were certainly flashes of Kate when Harriet revealed her love of wild swimming and holidays in Balmoral, as well as her passion for early years development.

Harriet, who specialised in infant mental health, revealed she had chosen Home-Start Cotswolds as her first royal patronage after stepping back from the NHS, adding it felt like a ‘natural step, rather than a complete change of direction’. 

But will it follow the same path Kate has forged? From her fashion choices to her charitable projects, it appears Harriet is navigating life in the royal fold with the future queen as her guiding light. 

Not only are Kate and Harriet of similar backgrounds, with both hailing from upper-middle-class families in neighbouring Berkshire and Gloucestershire, respectively, but they’re also of a similar age. 

Both also have a keen interest in fashion, each owning an unmistakably similar wardrobe filled with brands like Beulah, ME+ EM and Self-Portrait.

Their interests, meanwhile, are similarly intertwined: Kate is an avid supporter of all things childhood development with her Early Years work, while former paediatric nurse Harriet specialised in infant mental health during her 24-year healthcare career. 

In 2010, Harriet was a key member of a team of medics, doctors and clinicians who helped save the life of a critically ill baby, named Phineas, after he was struck down by a deadly virus at just three weeks.

Harriet is a talented freelance writer and recently contributed a candid essay to Woman Alive, detailing her experiences as a single mother and her unwavering Christian faith.

‘My daughter and I journeyed 10 years with only each other. I liken us to an island and it has often felt hard to imagine anyone joining that island,’ she wrote.

‘The unique relationship between a single mother and her child is forged in the fires of struggles and victories. It’s a bond characterised by love and survival against the odds.

‘This journey has deepened my faith, teaching me to trust in God’s plan and to find strength in his love.’

Writing is a skill Kate also possesses, having penned a moving essay, The Power of Human Connection in a Distracted World, via the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.

The article, written in collaboration with Harvard Professor Robert Waldinger, discussed the potential harms, or ‘epidemic of disconnection’, of smartphones and social media.

Now a regular at Wimbledon and Cheltenham alike, Harriet has earned praise for her fashion choices that appear to be inspired by the Princess of Wales’s immaculate royal style.

For her first royal Easter service, Harriet took a leaf out of Kate’s playbook as she wore pieces from four of her favourite brands.

The former NHS nurse was radiant in a blue, polka-dot two-piece from Beulah London, a label Kate first wore six months after her wedding to Prince William and has returned to again and again.

Harriet’s outfit also bore a striking similarity to the blue-and-white Jenny Packham dress Kate wore when leaving St Mary’s Hospital after giving birth to Prince George in 2013.

Harriet completed her Easter ensemble with accessories from Kate’s favourite jeweller, Kiki McDonough, heels from Emmy London, and the princess’s go-to milliner, Jane Taylor.

Her wardrobe is chock-full of pieces from brands that have been boosted by the ‘Kate effect’ – including Self-Portrait, Me+Em, Suzannah London, Penelope Chilvers and Aspinal of London.

Nowhere was this overlap more pronounced than at Royal Ascot in June, when Harriet made her first public appearance after marrying Princess Anne’s son.

It was an equally significant outing for Kate, who returned to the Berkshire racecourse for the first time since completing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer.

Eagle-eyed fans noted the pair carried matching clutches from Anya Hindmarch in a display of sartorial synchronicity – but Kate and Harriet have much more in common than good taste.

The princess confessed her love for wild swimming during an appearance on Mike Tindall’s podcast, The Good, The Bad And The Rugby in 2023, as she admitted ‘the colder, the better’.

‘Cold swimming – the colder, the better. I absolutely love it. Slightly to the point where William’s [saying] “You’re crazy” and it’s dark, and it’s raining. I will go and seek out cold water. I love it.’

Now, it appears at least one royal will appreciate Kate’s passion for wild swimming, with Harriet telling Hello! magazine that a cold dip is one of her favourite ways to unwind. 

In her first interview since marrying the King’s nephew, Harriet also revealed she has become a patron of Home-Start Cotswolds, a charity that supports families with young children in the community. 

Kate, who has previously described early years development as her ‘life’s work’, launched the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in 2021.

According to its website, the centre focuses on three main areas: research into the significance of early years; collaboration with public, private and voluntary sectors to share knowledge; and campaigning to raise awareness of the issue.

The princess in 2022 penned a heartfelt letter about the importance of nurturing and understanding early years as part of her campaign to improve the wellbeing of young people.

One of Kate’s main focuses since resuming public duties after cancer treatment has been expanding the ‘landmark’ centre’s work. 

Last month, she held private talks with Bill Gates’s ex-wife Melinda to explore collaborating on young people’s development projects. 

They discussed potential collaboration between Kate’s Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood and Pivotal, the investment and philanthropic organisation Melinda founded in 2015 to support women and young people.

Now, in Harriet, Kate will have found an important ally as Princess Anne’s daughter-in-law said her first royal patronage feels like a ‘completely natural fit’. 

‘Over time, I’ve become increasingly passionate about the importance of promoting healthy brain development. If we can support parents during this critical early period, we have an opportunity to make a lasting difference for children.

‘Moving on feels like a natural step, rather than a complete change of direction – it’s a chance to take everything I’ve learnt and use it in a new way.’

While Harriet is only five months into her life as a royal, it’s clear she has already learnt an important rule of The Firm. 

Following in the footsteps of Britain’s beloved future queen means she will likely never put a foot wrong along the way.