Royal watchers were thrilled when the Prince of Wales was joined by four of his cousins while hosting a garden party at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
Prince William, 41, was accompanied by Peter Phillips, 46, Zara Tindall, 43, and her husband Mike, 45, as well as sisters Princess Beatrice, 35, and Princess Eugenie, 34, as they mingled with guests in the rain.
Royal Editor Emily Nash says: “Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their cousins were at the Garden Party to support the Prince of Wales because the Princess is continuing her recovery, but they are not taking on official roles.
“They’ve attended royal engagements in the past, sometimes ‘in attendance’ with the late Queen, for example, so they might appear at other events over the summer as members of the King’s family.”
Beatrice and Eugenie have both established successful careers after their university studies. Beatrice currently serves as Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at the US tech company Afiniti, while Eugenie holds a directorship at the London art gallery Hauser & Wirth.
Meanwhile, Mike and Zara have enjoyed highly successful sporting careers, with former rugby star Mike being part of the 2003 World Cup-winning squad. Princess Anne’s daughter Zara has pursued an equestrian career, winning a silver medal at the London 2012 Olympics as part of Team GB’s eventing team.
Peter is currently head of partner acquisition at the sports and entertainment rights agency CSM Sport & Entertainment. Previously, he served as managing director at the sports and entertainment agency SEL UK.
Zara, a mother of three, has previously spoken about the advantages of herself and her brother Peter not having been given royal titles from birth.
Speaking on Seven: Rob Burrow, The Total Sport Podcast last December, she said: “From my point of view, I was obviously very lucky that my mother didn’t give us any titles so I really commend her on that. We were very lucky that we got to do it a bit our own way.”
