In pictures: Charity patron Princess Anne hosts veterans for festive tea party

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

She smiled and laughed as she spoke to the ex-servicemen and women who attended the event at St James's Palace.

In her capacity as the charity's patron, the princess hosted the tea party for The Not Forgotten Association, which supports veterans and service people who are suffering from injury and illness.

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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 24 May 1941.

Mrs Barnwell said she had met the princess four times this year, commenting that she always "stops and chats".

She added: "I think if anybody doesn't know what to do, join the forces, that's the best thing they can do. They can learn so much, I mean, it's all trades."

Dorothea Barron, 101, served with the Wrens between 1943 and 1945. The ex-servicewoman said she told Princess Anne that she thinks she is "the absolute brick of the royal family".

"She's practical, she's down to earth, and she's a damned hard worker," Mrs Barron added.

Reflecting on her service, Mrs Barron said young people these days "can’t imagine what we went through" during the war.

Mrs Barron, who teaches yoga in a village hall near her home in Hertfordshire once a week, said she thinks that the secret to living a long life is simply luck and genetics.

She added: "And making the most of every day, and don't be greedy, you can’t take anything with you so why chase after wealth, it’s a senseless waste of time.”

Frank Oldham, 106, who is thought to be the UK's oldest veteran, described the event as "fantastic".

Mr Oldham, who lives in Romford, Essex, said the decorations in St James's Palace were "amazing".

The 105-year-old Not Forgotten Association charity was founded in the wake of the First World War and currently supports 10,000 beneficiaries a year.

Anne and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, met around 200 guests at the event.