Peter Phillips's fiancee's ex-father-in-law makes public plea amid family's first outing: 'It breaks my heart'

Ben McCaffrey
Sat, 11 Apr 2026 14:51:46 +0000

As Harriet Sperling made her formal introduction to the Royal Family at Windsor's Easter Sunday service last weekend, a retiree watched on with profound emotion.

Along with Ms Sperling was her daughter, Georgina, 13, who undertook the daunting task of meeting the Royal Family.

Ms Sperling is due to wed Peter Phillips, the eldest grandchild of the late Queen Elizabeth II and son of Princess Anne, on June 6.

Mr Phillips, who is 19th in line to the throne, has two daughters from his previous marriage to Autumn Kelly: Savannah, 15, and Isla, 14.

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Meanwhile, Georgina's father is fitness instructor Antonio St John Sperling, 44.

And looking on from afar on Easter Sunday was Domenico Di Martino, the paternal grandfather of Georgina and father of Antonio. He proclaimed his regrets to the Daily Mail, and how he is yet to meet his teenage granddaughter.

"I saw Georgina at the Easter service and she's a beautiful young woman," the 80-year-old told the paper after the event.

"It breaks my heart that she's my oldest grandchild — but I don't know her at all."

The retired hairdresser, who lives alone in Cambridgeshire, added: "She could walk past me and not even know who I am — and that makes me very sad."

The family rupture dates back a quarter of a century, when Mr Di Martino left his ex-wife Sonia, Antonio's mother.

His son severed all contact following the separation.

"I left my wife and Antonio's mother Sonia around 25 years ago and he took it really badly," Mr Di Martino explained.

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"When I left his mother, it was hard for him, and he never recovered from that."

He has neither seen nor spoken to son Antonio since, learning of his son's marriage and subsequent divorce only through third parties.

"Sadly, Sonia and I splitting meant that he carried a lot of emotional baggage into his marriage, and it clearly was too much for them both," he reflected.

"That was a mistake which I now regret."

Antonio's marriage to Ms Sperling, approximately 16 years ago, lasted merely two years before the couple separated when Georgina was just two years old.

Mr Di Martino concluded with only positive words for his former daughter-in-law, whom he also never met.

"I wish her all the best in the world and I'm very happy that she's going to be a member of the Royal Family," he said.

"I've never met Harriet, but I feel as if I have a connection to her and I'm sure she'll make a wonderful wife for the late Queen's grandson."

He later added: "I never want any harm to come to her or my granddaughter, even though I'm not even sure that they know of my existence."

Mr Phillips and Ms Sperling announced their engagement in August 2025, having first appeared publicly together at the Badminton Horse Trials the previous May.

The wedding will create another blended royal family, with Georgina gaining two older stepsisters.

Harriet, a paediatric nurse from Gloucestershire, has written candidly about her decade as a single mother, describing how she and Georgina survived "against the odds" whilst she worked on the NHS frontline.