Anne smiled and laughed as she spoke with the ex-servicemen and women.

The Princess Royal chatted with veterans and their families during a Christmas Tea Party she hosted in their honour.

Anne smiled and laughed as she spoke with the ex-servicemen and women who attended the event at St James’s Palace on Thursday.

The princess hosted the tea party for The Not Forgotten Association, which supports veterans and service-people who are suffering from injury and illness.

Among the attendees was Ruth Barnwell, 101, who joined the Women’s Royal Naval Service aged 17 when her brother’s friend was killed on HMS Hood, which was sunk by the German battleship Bismarck during the Battle of the Denmark Strait on May 24 1941.

Mrs Barnwell said she has met the princess four times this year, commenting

See Full Page