When Peter Phillips married Harriet Sperling on June 6, the congregation at All Saints Church in the village of Kemble was filled with members of the Royal Family, but one guest had a close tie to the future Queen. Princess Kate’s ex-boyfriend, Rupert Finch, attended the ceremony alongside his fashion designer wife, Lady Natasha Rufus Isaacs—and she wore a very familiar dress from her brand for the occasion.
The Princess of Wales briefly dated Finch in college before she got together with Prince William, and the attorney was a guest at William and Kate’s 2011 wedding. He married Isaacs in 2013, and as the founder of royal-favorite brand Beulah London, she’s maintained a connection to the Princess of Wales. In fact, Lady Natasha—who is the daughter of Simon Rufus Isaacs, 4th Marquess of Reading—wore the same blue dress from her label that Kate wore to a 2023 polo match.
The three-quarter sleeve, silk crepe de chine midi dress retailed for £550 at the time and features balloon sleeves and a white pattern. Isaacs paired it with a bow-trimmed white headpiece and an embroidered Aspinal of London Midi Mayfair bag, another favorite of the Princess of Wales.
Kate has worn Beulah designs frequently over the years, and Sperling is also a fan of the label, which has been worn by everyone from Princess Beatrice to Queen Mary of Denmark. Although Kate didn't wear Beulah to the royal wedding, she looked elegant in a beige Roland Mouret dress with a Jane Taylor boater hat, keeping the focus on the newest royal bride.
Isaacs spoke fondly of the Princess of Wales in a 2020 interview with Hello! magazine. “It’s always lovely to see the Duchess in Beulah,” she said. “She’s a wonderful ambassador for British brands and that is more important than ever at the moment.”
Finch has never commented on his relationship with Kate, except for stating (via the Sun), “It’s not something I’ll ever talk about. It’s between Kate and me and was a long time ago.”
However, there’s no bad blood between the two, as former royal butler Grant Harrold shared. “Members of the Royal Family are known for remaining close with their exes,” Harrold said, speaking on behalf of Casino Hawks.
“The King and Prince William both still count some of their exes as good friends,” he added, explaining that “they tend to date within their friendship group” and that it wouldn't have been a surprise for the Princess of Wales to run into him at the wedding.
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