Peter Phillips and girlfriend Lindsay Wallace are spotted in a Scottish Tesco on Christmas Eve – ahead of the royal family’s missing church service at Sandringham

His mother Princess Anne and sister Zara Tindall spent their Christmas at Sandringham with the King and Queen.

But Peter Phillips, 46, appears to have enjoyed the big day with his girlfriend Lindsay Wallace in Scotland, where she was born and raised and whose parents are said to be ‘pillars of the community’.

The couple – who did not join the royal family for the annual Christmas Day church service at the Norfolk estate – were pictured doing some last-minute shopping in a Tesco on Christmas Eve.

Peter looked calm in his cap and navy blue coat, while Lindsay, the daughter of an oil tycoon, wrapped warmly in a black jacket.

Princess Anne’s son and his girlfriend are no strangers to royal events. They attended the coronation concert together in May, where they watched from the royal box in the grounds of the Windsor Estate.

They attended with Peter’s daughters, Isla Phillips, 11, and Savannah Phillips, 12, whom he shares with his ex-wife Autumn.

In June, a friend of the King’s cousin told Hello that Peter has always been “extremely close” to Charles and that “it meant a lot” that he could take Lindsay to the coronation concert.

The source told the newspaper: “He’s in a great place right now and couldn’t be happier, both in his private and personal life.”

The friend added that the pair looked “so natural” in each other’s company, adding that they are “incredibly happy” together.

“Lindsay is truly a breath of fresh air and it’s clear to see that both Lindsay and Peter love life,” the friend continued.

Peter and Autumn announced their split in 2020, with the divorce finalized in 2021.

She still has a good relationship with some members of the family. In the summer she was pictured at a charity golf tournament with Peter’s sister Zara.

Meanwhile, rumors of a romance between Peter and Lindsay first emerged when he visited her in March 2021, raising questions about whether he had broken lockdown restrictions.

Zara, Mike and Lena Tindall attend the Christmas Day service at St. Mary Magdalene Church on December 25

Eight months later, he showed he was serious about his new relationship when he took Lindsay as a date to his cousin Lucas’ baptism.

The couple were photographed together in a car ahead of the royal family meeting.

Peter, the eldest child of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips, then took the very important step of introducing Lindsay to his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, who was reportedly “delighted.”

Lindsay met Her Majesty during a shooting in Windsor and the meeting was described by a source as ‘warm’.

A friend of the King’s cousin told Hello that Peter has always been ‘extremely close’ to King Charles and that ‘it meant a lot’ that he could take Lindsay to the coronation concert in May (pictured)

Peter Phillips (right) and Lindsay Wallace in the stands on Derby Day during the 2022 Cazoo Derby Festival at Epsom Racecourse

A spokesperson for Mr Phillips confirmed at the time that Lindsay, 40, had accompanied him to the joint christening of Zara and Mike Tindall’s son, Lucas, and Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s son, August, in Windsor.

Mum-of-two Lindsay knows Mr Phillips and his sister Zara from their £40,000-a-year school days at Gordonstoun.

Lindsay, who is also separated from her husband, was in the same year as Zara at Gordonstoun, the respected Scottish school that Charles also attended.

She was one of the guests at the royal family’s wedding to rugby star Mike Tindall in 2011.