Princess Eugenie won’t be joining the Royal Family at Sandringham for Christmas this year, but Zara Tindall made sure she still enjoyed the festive cheer.
The royal cousins were joined by Prince Harry’s ex-girlfriend, Sky Sports presenter Natalie Pinkham, 47, presenter Di Stewart, 45, and broadcaster Anna Woolhouse, 40, for a three-way lunch hours that Zara, 43, hosted at the Ixchel Mexican restaurant and tequila bar in Chelsea. .
The friends were carrying bags as they left the west London venue.
It could be Eugenie, 34,’s last meeting for a while with Princess Anne’s daughter, who escapes the cold every January by traveling to Australia to attend the Magic Millions race on the Gold Coast.
Dressed casually, Zara was wrapped in a khaki jacket and a thick gray scarf, which she paired with skinny jeans and black suede ankle boots.
Eugenie, for her part, opted for a green silk skirt and a black turtleneck.
The princess, who will star in a new documentary about the National Gallery, completed her look with a pair of slouchy knee-high boots with a block heel.
My National Gallery will celebrate 200 years since the institution first opened its doors in 1824 through interviews with its staff and famous visitors, including Claudia Winkleman, Michael Palin and Eugenie herself.
Zara Tindall hosted a festive lunch in west London for her cousin Princess Eugenie, 34, and three close friends. Lr: Sky Sports presenter Natalie Pinkham, 47, Zara Tindall, 43, presenter Di Stewart, 45, and broadcaster Anna Woolhouse, 40
Princess Eugenie (pictured) looked elegant in a khaki silk skirt and black turtleneck, which she paired with slouchy knee-high boots.
Zara, in particular, has had a busy festive calendar: she attended the Princess of Wales’s carol concert on Friday, December 6, and then joined her husband Mike Tindall and TV presenter Denise van Outen on Saturday night .
She and Mike, 46, enjoyed a lively night out with Denise, 50, at the Green Room Experience Christmas party in London on Saturday, December 14.
Posing for a group photo in a photo booth, Zara donned oversized orange sunglasses, while former rugby ace Mike sported a fun turkey hat.
The Green Room Experience is a company designed to enhance sporting events and concerts, for which Mike is an ambassador.
Also joining the royals at the event was former England rugby union captain and Green Room Experience ambassador Lawrence Dallaglio, 52, who similarly showed off some extravagant shades in the photo booth.
Zara put on a stylish display in a black suit paired with a chocolate brown satin shirt, while Mike opted for a smart gray suit and blue shirt.
The glamorous mother-of-three looked radiant as she smiled for a selfie with Denise.
In a different shot, Mike got in front of the camera with presenter and DJ Denise to take a selfie.
Zara (pictured left) and Mike Tindall (pictured back left) got into the festive spirit at The Green Room Experience Christmas party alongside Denise van Outen (pictured front) on Saturday night.
Mike (pictured left) stepped in front of the camera to take a selfie with presenter and DJ Denise (pictured right)
Zara opted for a glamorous makeup look with a touch of eyeliner at The Green Room Experience Christmas party
Denise, who donned a white dress and a £400 Vivienne Westwood pearl necklace for the occasion, appeared to warm up the crowd as she sang a rendition of Sweet Caroline.
After the festivities, Denise took the subway back home, and the TV host sported a lime-colored Santa hat with The Green Room Experience written on the front.
However, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson will not be enjoying any such festive cheer on Christmas Day, MailOnline revealed today.
The embattled Duke of York has pulled out of joining the Royal Family to spend Christmas at Sandringham after his links to an alleged Chinese spy, today called Yang Tengbo, came to light.
Amid the scandal, Andrew, 64, voluntarily decided, along with his ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, to skip the annual celebrations in Norfolk.
It is believed the couple are likely to remain at Royal Lodge.
MailOnline understands that her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, had already made the decision to spend Christmas with their respective in-laws, after not having had the opportunity to do so for several years.
Prince Andrew is accompanied by his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, on the annual royal outing to the Christmas Day church service in Sandringham, Norfolk, December 25, 2023.
Andrew with Edward at the Christmas service in Sandringham on 25 December 2023
It is understood that the King and Queen were hoping that none other than the Duchess of York would come to their rescue and save the family’s festivities this Christmas, and it appears that was the case.
Their Majesties had made it clear privately that it would be a “blessing” if Sarah, still known to them as “Fergie”, persuaded her ex-husband to “come to his senses” and tactfully withdraw from public gatherings over the next week, since The storm around his dealings with an alleged Chinese spy is still raging.
While the Duchess has been at the center of several royal scandals over the years, Charles and Camilla – like Queen Elizabeth before them – are quite “fond” of her deep down.
Rather, they admire his loyalty both to Andrew, despite his repeated public troubles, and to the monarchy in general.
And they believe she was possibly the only person who was able to convince the Duke to “recuse” himself from the very public family walk to church in Sandringham on Christmas Day, and possibly to reduce his Royal Lodge staff.
Surprisingly, the couple still live together in the grand Windsor mansion that Andrew has on a long-term lease with the Crown Estate and which is at the center of much of their most recent controversy.
In an interview over the weekend, Sarah compared herself to “a sad man’s caretaker” and also spoke of her love for the king and his kindness to her.
It comes as alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo, who forged links with Andrew and mixed with other British establishment figures, insisted he has “done nothing wrong or illegal”.