Harriet Sperling’s wedding bouquet featured a sweet nod to Queen Elizabeth

Harriet Sperling carried a bouquet of scented lily of the valley, white and cream sweet peas, astilbe, and jasmine as she married Peter Phillips on Saturday at All Saints’ Church in the Cotswolds. Tucked among the blooms was a small sprig of myrtle, a tradition observed by royal brides stretching back generations. “Myrtle is a symbol of beauty, grace and love and was requested on the same basis,” florist Millie Richardson told the Telegraph. “It’s always included in every royal wedding bouquet.”

A closer look at Sperling’s bouquet.

Myrtle has appeared in royal wedding bouquets since the marriage of Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter, Princess Victoria, in 1858. The custom has been observed by royal brides ever since, including at the weddings of Queen Elizabeth in 1947 and, more recently, Meghan Markle, whose 2018 bouquet also included lily of the valley, sweet peas, astilbe, and jasmine alongside the traditional sprig.

Then-Princess Elizabeth, holding her bouquet, with Prince Philip on their wedding day in 1947.

For Sperling, the inclusion of myrtle carried a double significance. According to a spokesperson for the couple, it is also a longstanding tradition in her own family. The bridesmaids, which included the couple’s three daughters—Savannah and Isla Phillips, and Georgina Sperling—each carried posies of seasonal flowers incorporating pale blue Nigella, known as Love in the Mist, a tradition carried through generations of weddings in Harriet’s family. “The girls’ head pieces also have been exclusively created with the lily of the valley flower.” Richardson noted.

The bridesmaids, wearing their flower headpieces, while holding the bride’s train after the ceremony.

Sperling’s wedding gown was designed by Emilia Wickstead. She also wore a diamond and pearl tiara with matching earrings, both by Pragnell London, and shoes by Jimmy Choo. Her brother, Nicholas Sanders, walked her down the aisle in honor of their late father, Rupert Sanders. The wedding was well attended by the royal family, led by the mother of the groom, Princess Anne, and his sister, Zara Tindall. Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, accompanied by their husbands, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank, were among the first to arrive, followed by King Charles and Queen Camilla, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and Princess Margaret’s children and grandchildren.