In the early hours of Bank Holiday Monday, Nina Johnson-Marshall, a senior planning enforcement officer, was given a ‘blue-light’ police escort through the highways and byways of Hertfordshire.

In her possession was a High Court injunction which had just been issued, out of hours, by a duty judge.

The destination was Sawbridgeworth, a genteel market town near Bishop’s Stortford, which had been invaded by travellers over the weekend. The all-too familiar incursion received extensive media coverage.

Few outside this small corner of Hertfordshire, however, will be aware of the drama – reminiscent of a scene from a film – involving Ms Johnson-Marshall and her race against the clock to serve the injunction.

The travellers had already covered the plot of greenbelt land, a habitat for wildlife, with hardcore and were planning to occupy the site permanently with mobile homes and caravans.

Had this happened they would probably still be there today, having applied for retrospective planning permission and exploiting every loophole in the human rights legislation playbook.

The law is overwhelmingly on their side. Residents in other parts of the country will bear testament to this.

Not this time.

A concrete base had been laid on the site alongside fencing over the bank holiday weekend

Planning enforcement officer Nina Johnson-Marshall arrived by car at the site at 12.30am with a High Court injunction following a ‘blue-light’ police escort through Hertfordshire

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At precisely 12.30am on August 31, when Ms Johnson-Marshall arrived in Sawbridgeworth accompanied by a police patrol car and posted a copy of the injunction on the newly erected wooden perimeter fence of the as-yet-uninhabited encampment, what until then had been a civil case became a matter for the police. 

The order gave officers at the scene the power of arrest if there was further ‘development’ on the grassland next to Sheering Mill Lane, and prohibited ‘the occupation of any caravans, vehicles or mobile homes’.

These were some of the wide-ranging restrictions imposed by the judge following a campaign by residents who blocked the entry to the site.

One of the main reasons for his decision was because he heard that someone on the encampment had used an offensive term to describe a Jewish protester, who was then told menacingly: ‘I am going to follow you home and burn your house down.’

Those who did not comply with the order were warned they could be held in ‘contempt of court’ and be ‘imprisoned, or fined’ or their ‘assets may be seized’.

At 9am, before the unwelcome visitors had time to install their accommodation, the area was cleared, without incident, by the police, to the cheers and applause of locals who watched the convoy of vans and trucks with heavy machinery leave the area.

‘All gone,’ announced Greg Rattey, a local councillor and a former mayor of Sawbridgeworth, on Facebook. ‘What a fantastic united community we are. Well done everyone.’ 

Behind this almost unprecedented victory – it’s hard to remember such a successful legal outcome elsewhere – is the inspiring story of how the good people of Sawbridgeworth, known locally as ‘Sawbo’, mobilised to save their town from the scourge of those travellers who have blighted communities with threatening, intimidatory and anti-social behaviour.

One day they really might make a movie or TV special about it. There is already an obvious title: The Battle of Sheering Mill Lane.

Surely Nina Johnson-Marshall, from East Hertfordshire District Council, would get a leading role. How many provincial planning officials have been ‘blue-lighted’ in the line of duty?

The real stars of the saga, though, are the law-abiding taxpayers of Sawbridgeworth, which has a population of just over 10,000, and was best known, until now at least, for its links with the world of celebrity.

‘Beckingham Palace’, the former country estate of David and Victoria Beckham, is located here and Sir Rod Stewart and his wife Penny Lancaster, who live a little over a mile away, have been spotted walking along the quaint streets of the town with shops such as Christine’s (‘traditional home baking’), The House of Harlequin Boutique (‘ladies fashion & accessories’) and Violets Floral Designs.

In this genteel setting, it was incongruous to see the ‘site manager’ – a bare-chested, tattooed man drinking a can of beer.

He and his ilk underestimated the grit and spirit of the opposition in Sawbridgeworth.

Almost within minutes of lorries arriving with diggers and hardcore at the start of the bank holiday break last Friday, when workmen began excavating, installing fencing, and felling trees on the site, the alarm was sounded on WhatsApp and Facebook and a very middle-class protest swung into action.

Soon hundreds of residents were manning the ‘front line’ in Sheering Mill Lane. Prosecco was served along with teas and coffees and cakes. There was music and even a ‘pub quiz’ at 4am.

Many camped out overnight in five-hour shifts.

Among those who answered the call was a Girl Guides leader, a semi-retired City worker with his ‘Westie’ highland terrier Bianca and 72-year-old retired postmistress Margaret Shields. 

At the same time, a crack team of litigation lawyers, including a barrister lauded by industry bible Legal 500, was assembled by the local authority, which described the operation as a ‘masterclass in effective collaboration’ between the community and the council.

All in the space of 72 hours over the bank holiday when town halls are shut. Hence the reason why so many ‘land grabs’ occur during this period.

The site was previously a wildlife-rich floodplain next to a rare chalk stream

Police officers at the site, standing near a caravan parked at the wildlife haven

‘We cannot let these travellers do what they want,’ was the battle cry from a resolute Ms Shields.

‘If we don’t stand up to them, then who will?’

It has not come without cost, however. The land, a wildlife-rich floodplain next to a rare chalk stream, which attracts muntjac deer, has been all but destroyed and will require a small fortune to restore to its natural state. 

The question residents are now asking is: who ‘sold out’ Sawbridgeworth?

Two men – Leonard Richards and Darren Glover – were named on the injunction, along with ‘persons unknown’, as the registered owners of the two parcels of land at the site, but the legal papers also make it clear that ‘one or both’ may ‘ultimately be removed as defendants’ because the Land Registry hasn’t been updated.

So exactly who owns the land, and who is responsible for selling the grassland to travellers remains unclear.

Mr Richards, 55, who lives in Dunmow, Essex, acquired his plot for £20,000 in 2003 and runs a successful driveway and road surfacing company. 

Town councillors described him as a ‘reputable businessman’ whose firm has been used by the authority itself. 

Mr Richards said that after taking legal advice he was unable to comment.

Mr Glover, for his part, bought his share of the site, where the majority of the hardcore is understood to have been laid, for £150,000 in December 2023, the Daily Mail has established.

He confirmed, when contacted, that he had sold the land ‘a year to 18 months ago… through word of mouth and a little bit of advertising’.

Mr Glover, from Basildon, added: ‘A police officer rang me over the encampment. I said the land was not mine any more and I hadn’t a clue what was going on.’ 

He buys land ‘now and again’, he said, as an investment but would have to check who the buyers were in this case with his solicitor.

Mr Glover didn’t get back to us with an answer.

Will the ‘Battle of Sheering Mill Lane’ set a precedent in the case of future ‘land grabs’?

What makes the Sawbridgeworth campaign so impressive is that it succeeded in the face of the law as it currently stands.

Four heavy-duty diggers and a caravan parked in one of five plots of line created by fencing

A JCB digger parked inside wooden fencing used to divide the site into plots of land

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Evidence – including witness statements, site photos, proof of land ownership – has to be collected in an almost impossibly short space of time to satisfy a duty judge that the situation is so serious that enforcement action cannot wait until the next day.

Local Labour MP Josh Dean raised the issue with Andy Burnham on his first day in the Commons as Prime Minister. 

‘Thanks to our community’s exceptional response, East Herts Council was able to move quickly and secure an injunction,’ Mr Dean told the House. ‘But across the country, this is sadly the exception and not the rule.’

He has asked for a meeting with the PM to discuss ‘why we need to change the law to ensure police and local authorities have the right powers’.

Those powers are sadly lacking at the moment.

The Catch-22 at the heart of the ‘land grab’ scandal is that the sites which travellers occupy have invariably been legally purchased so they cannot be removed for trespassing.

And ‘stop notices’, if the recent past is anything to go by, are not worth the paper they are written on. They are routinely ignored without consequence. Police simply have a ‘watching brief’ in these circumstances to ensure there is no disorder.

The bottom line is that councils are effectively powerless to do anything in the vast majority of cases.

A ‘stop notice’ was flagrantly ignored in Sawbridgeworth but the crucial difference here was the size of the protest in Sheering Mill Lane, prompting the police to seal off the single-track 20mph road at one point, which largely prevented anyone from bringing caravans on to the site and bought time for an injunction to be obtained.

That, and the willingness of the community to come together and mobilise quickly.

The first signs of the invasion were spotted last Friday by the aforementioned owner of Bianca the ‘Westie’.

I bumped into him near his home after Sawbridgeworth returned to normality. The 68-year-old asked to remain anonymous because he and his wife, he said, had been ‘threatened and abused’ by travellers (residents spoke of those who made ‘gun fingers’ and throat-slitting gestures) who deliberately parked trucks and cars outside his home and those of fellow protesters.

His suspicions were aroused when he saw a truck heading towards the site. He alerted a councillor who was also a neighbour and they went to investigate. 

A ‘workman’ they encountered at the scene insisted only a small section of the pavement was going to be tarmacked.

‘You’re having a laugh,’ the pensioner told him before becoming a stalwart on the ‘front line’.

The protest was expertly coordinated, with residents performing different roles.

Dominic Connor, 64, a tech journalist, made it his job to lobby companies delivering materials to the site. 

‘My time was best spent disrupting their supply chain,’ he said. One of the firms in question was Harlow Fencing.

‘We were led to believe the site was a legitimate new-build development and supplied materials in good faith,’ the company said on social media.

‘As soon as concerns were brought to our attention, we stopped all further deliveries.’

Meanwhile, business manager Alex Williams, 45, was involved in mobilising support using Facebook and WhatsApp, where the opposition swelled to 700.

‘People power is the only way to stop these developments,’ he said.

He’s right, unfortunately, because councils are unlikely to be given the badly needed new powers they need any time soon.

• Additional reporting: Isaac Crowson and Tim Stewart

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BEIJING (AP) — A mudslide on Saturday killed one person and left 11 others missing in eastern China, damaging a dozen houses following days of torrential rain brought by tropical cyclone Saudel, authorities said.

The mudslide hit part of a village in Suichuan County in Jiangxi province in the early hours, prompting rescuers to rush to the scene and relocate residents to safer ground to prevent further danger, authorities said in a statement. One person pulled out was found dead, while two others were rescued alive and in good condition, it said.

Typhoon Saudel made two landfalls in Zhejiang Province on Aug. 28 and made a third landfall as a tropical storm in Fujian Province Thursday, Chinese official news agency Xinhua reported. Both provinces neighbor Jiangxi.

In Fujian, local authorities said Friday that multiple residents were left unaccounted for after days of heavy rain, Xinhua reported. The exact number is unclear, but more than 100 houses collapsed in Huating Town in Putian city, it said. A dike overtopped and breached Thursday afternoon, flooding villages and trapping residents, it added.

About 600,000 residents have been evacuated from risky offshore and onshore areas in Fujian as of Friday night, Xinhua reported.

Images from state broadcaster CCTV showed that some streets were turned into rivers, while rescuers deployed inflatable boats in their efforts.

When it came to eating, we found much of the island’s food game to be London-level — just without the traffic and snobbiness. At Braai, a huge open cattle shed with a fire-roaring open kitchen on the ancient Nunwell Estate farm, we shared blackened whole chicken, seabass, grilled peaches, flatbreads, charred cabbage and pillowy brisket. The long wait for food didn’t matter, the kids ran wild in the adjacent field. It was a similar set up at Isle of Wight Pearl. Before we chomped on our crisp, homemade hash browns glistening with wild mushroom and truffle, piquant beef with zesty lime guacamole, and salt-and-pepper chicken, the children escaped to the lawn, which had been set up with sports-day games pitting young against old.

Beyonce has one of the most loyal fanbases in the world – but some have turned against her for selling an empty wooden box for nearly $1,000. 

The megastar celebrated her 45th birthday and the 20th anniversary of her iconic album B’Day by selling a ‘limited edition of 500’ wooden ‘Bey keeper collector’s box’ for $948.01 and followers were not too pleased.

Her fans – affectionately nicknamed ‘The BeyHive’ – came out in droves to take to the Instagram of Beyonce‘s Parkwood Entertainment company to drag their icon over the empty box product release.

One of her loyal followers even branded it a ‘disgusting display of greed’ by the artist with an estimated $1 billion net worth. 

‘$1K and it’s an empty box. Beyonce, you have lost your damn mind!’ another said, while a different commenter wrote: ‘For that price I need you to pop out the box and perform.’

One of the more head-scratching elements about the item is that the product description says it is a collector’s box that is ‘designed to house and display your Beyonce vinyl collection’ but it does not come with a record of B’Day or any other album from the artist.

The megastar celebrated her 45th birthday and the 20th anniversary of her iconic album B’Day by selling a ‘limited edition of 500’ wooden ‘Bey keeper collector’s box’ for $948.01 and followers were not too pleased

Beyhive members were also infuriated by the choice of pine for the box, as it is considered a cheap type of wood.

The price of the item being $948.01 does have some significance, as Beyonce was born on September 4, 1981, but some fans argued that the price should have been $94.81 in that case. 

Despite a limited vinyl not being included in the ‘Bey collector’s box,’ Beyonce released a 31-track reissue of her iconic album B’Day for its 20th anniversary.

It includes a few unreleased tracks, including Lost Yo Mind, Creole, Back Up, My First Time, and Can I Watch You featuring Pharrell Williams.

There are also Spanish versions of songs like Get Me Bodied (Mueve el Cuerpo) with Colombian reggaeton superstar Maluma and Irreplaceable featuring a sample of late Tejano legend Selena.

B’Day was a big hit in 2006, as it has sold over 8 million copies worldwide and featured massive singles including Irreplaceable, Ring The Alarm, Deja Vu, and Green Light. It even earned her a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album.

Beyonce fans who are nostalgic for decades past are certainly in for a fun time as her super girl group Destiny’s Child will be dropping new music for their upcoming 30th anniversary, according to her dad, Mathew Knowles.

Back in February, the musical act’s fans were in hysterics as the 74-year-old music executive took to Instagram to post a photo with the singing trio.

Her fans – affectionately nicknamed ‘The BeyHive’ – came out in droves to take to the Instagram of Beyonce’s Parkwood Entertainment company to drag their icon over the empty box product release

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One of her loyal followers even branded it a ‘disgusting display of greed’ by the artist with an estimated $1 billion net worth

In the snap, Knowles was flanked by his megastar daughter Beyonce, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams while aboard a luxury boat.

The post had many Destiny’s Child fans wondering about a possible reunion and now the patriarch has confirmed that there is new music on the way.

The girl group has 10 to 15 remixes recorded, including an urban and dance mix, Knowles told TMZ in July. 

It remains unclear if the new tracks will comprise an album but he told the publication that the three performers are all in on the new era.

He also told the publication that the group has also been sitting on never-before-seen video and never-heard-before audio that is in the process of being released.

However, fans should not save up for a potential tour yet, as Knowles told TMZ that there are no current plans for a string of performances together.

Knowles was the creator and manager of the group when they formed in Houston, Texas, back in the 1990s. 

It has been nearly 22 years since the group released new music, as their last album, titled Destiny Fulfilled, dropped in November 2004. The trio all went on to pursue solo careers. 

B’Day was a big hit in 2006, selling more than eight million copies worldwide. It featured massive singles, including Irreplaceable, Ring The Alarm, Deja Vu and Green Light

It even earned her a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Album in 2007

Beyonce’s supergirl group Destiny’s Child will be dropping new music for their upcoming 30th anniversary, according to her dad, Mathew Knowles. Above, Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, Knowles and Beyonce in February 

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Destiny’s Child announced they were breaking up in 2005. Above, in 2001

Destiny’s Child announced their disbandment in 2005 in the middle of their world tour.

The girls have remained close since the split, even reuniting for a performance of Beyonce’s final night of her Cowboy Carter tour in July last year.

The ladies enjoyed a surprise reunion moment, wearing chaps, glitter and gold. 

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We’ve had Japandi, Quiet Luxury, and Cottagecore. Now, interiors are entering their most enchanting era – yes folks, whimsical decor is here. 

The data confirms it: Pinterest searches for ‘whimsical home aesthetic’ up 975 per cent over the past year. 

But what does whimsical mean, really? A joyous antidote to grey and white homes with pillows uniformly hacked on sofas and beds (millennials know), whimsical style is all about embracing the unexpected, eccentric, and above all, having fun with your interiors. Think of it as the sister to dopamine decor. If it makes you smile or take a second look, you’re on the right track. 

Playful, witty style can present itself in lots of ways, from a 70s-inspired mushroom lamp to a rug with clashing colours, or even kids drawings, mounted and framed for the wall like the contemporary artworks they are.

Keen to refresh your space with a touch of whimsy? The good news is that you can do it easily on a small scale. Think putting photos into zany frames, curating coffee tables or bookshelves with curios, or switching cupboard knobs for something quirkier. Even the smallest details can make a huge impact, especially if they’re put against traditional styles or in a neutral setting. 

And it’s not a style mission you have to bankrupt yourself over either. Plenty of affordable homewares stores are spotlighting whimsical wares right now, whether you’re looking to go big or small.

Just look at Dunelm; its latest collab with designer Yinka Ilori is an excellent starting point. To prove it, find our favourite pieces to whimsymaxx your home.

Dunelm Pack of 4 Bistro Slogan Napkins

Slightly salty but perfect for dinner parties, this set of four 100% cotton napkins come with phrases every parent has surely said to their offspring around the table.

Use them to set the table for your next soiree, and reminisce together when your guests discover the details.

The machine washable napkins come in an easy-to-style monochrome colourway, so they’ll stay looking sharper for longer.

Buy Now for £12

Yinka Ilori Bell Touch Dimmable LED Table Lamp

In the designer’s own words, this futuristic-looking lamp, with its transparent base and pop of orange is almost ‘post-modern in its design language’.

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Its function as a light source feels almost secondary to the structural form and remix of vintage hues.

This is a piece that will look as good off as it will when it’s switched on. 

Buy Now for £65

Yinka Ilori Sweet Flows Bath Mat

Another big-hitter from the Dunelm x Yinka Ilori collection at a price that won’t break the bank.

This cotton mat is all about injecting fun to the bathroom with a bold palette and pattern that promises to bring colour and texture into a space that desperately needs both. 

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The high-low tuft makes the everyday ritual of bathing feel like a proper treat, and it’s part of a collection that includes matching towels, so you can go the whole hog if you like.

It’s machine washable too, so ridiculously easy to keep looking, feeling and smelling fresh.

Buy Now for £20

Tinned Sardines Salt & Pepper Shakers

There’s a fine line between novelty and nostalgia, but if your childhood home was one that enjoyed a fish and chip dinner every week, this adorable set of S&P shakers will bring back treasured memories every time. 

Two stoneware sardines are presented in a matching tin-style dish to add personality and decor to your table.

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Dive into seafood, tapas, or your local chippy’s greatest hits in style. 

Going to a housewarming? This will make the perfect gift.

Buy Now for £10

Brooke Bobble Lozenge Oval Full Length Wall Mirror

We’ve noticed a surge of bobbin and bobbles across homewares – and we’re not mad about it.

What’s not to love about these jolly little orbs? Dunelm proves it can deliver the look with elegance in this full length wall mirror made with handsome dark wood in a curved lozenge shape.

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We’ve seen similar at the likes of Soho Home, Westwing and Sklum for more than five times the price, so this is a steal.

Buy Now for £120

Sophie Robinson Wiggle Petal Meadow Zest Easy Fit Pleated Lamp Shade

Lighting often takes a backseat when it comes to zhushing up rooms, but it’s one of the features that can have the most impact. 

Switch over your boring lampshade for Sophie Robinson’s House of Hackney-esque look.

The designer also has a collaboration with Dunelm, and the gorgeous lampshades are high up on our wishlist.

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Patterned with heavy florals and pleated for a luxe effect, you’ll never want to turn on the room’s Big Light more.

It comes in two sizes – 40cm and 50cm – so you can choose the one that fits your room’s proportions best.

Buy Now from £45

I Can Boogie Cushion

Grandmacore collides with whimsical decor in this cushion, which will lift the mood of any room it’s in.

We love the nostalgia of the needlepoint paired with the disco-ready phrase and that delicate scalloped trim.

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If you’re happy to let your soft furnishings do the talking for you, add this cushion to basket, stat.

Buy Now for £25

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Condé Nast Traveller has revealed the most wishlisted Airbnbs in the UK over the last year.

A spot in Northumberland has made it onto the list and was named the best for “a room with a view”.

Skylark Studio has “panoramic” views of the dunes and beaches of Alnmouth Bay and offers guests a relaxing place to escape from daily life.

You can enjoy sea views from the studio. (Image: Courtesy of the Airbnb Community)

What is Skylark Studio like?

On the Airbnb, the publication said: “Panoramic ocean vistas over the dunes and beaches of Alnmouth Bay take centre stage at this light-filled hilltop studio flat.

“It’s a perfect spot for a couples’ getaway, forming one wing of a self-built timber and stone converted barn.

“Inside uses a thoughtful mix of sustainable materials, selected by the home’s architect owner – expect birch plywood joinery and natural plaster walls with bamboo flooring and cool acoustic ceilings.

“A soapstone log burner and air-source underfloor heating keep the open-plan interior cosy through stormy days, and there’s a cute-as-can-be handcrafted window seat opening onto a front row view of the local birds and sunrises over the sea.”

The studio has been built in a timber and stone converted barn and has been decorated with natural features.

It has an open-plan living and sleeping area with a well-equipped kitchen where you can enjoy a meal while watching the sunset over the coast.

The studio is placed close to the beach and is just a few miles away from both the village of Alnmouth and Warkworth.

If you would rather stay home and enjoy the studio, it is a great spot for reading, birdwatching, and enjoying the views while sitting in the garden area.

What do guests think of Skylark Studio?

Many people have left five-star reviews on the Airbnb website after staying at the Skylark Studio.

One person wrote: “Skylark is such a lovely and peaceful holiday let.

“Geno goes above and beyond always looking to be as helpful and supportive as she can be.”

Another person wrote: “Skylark is truly a little slice of heaven!

“Everything is so well thought out, from the building itself to its final luxury touches.

“Geno is a great host, great communication and thank you again for the bread and milk!

“We didn’t want to leave!

“We look forward to staying in the colder months so we can see the skylark in every season!”

Will you be booking a stay at the Skylark Studio soon? Let us know in the comments.

Early one morning, the woman, who had been subjected to domestic violence by Zack Bowes before he was jailed, woke to find him standing by her bed,  Emily Jenkins, prosecuting, said at York Crown Court.

The previous night, the woman had heard him banging on her front door and had alerted police.

Bowes was also spotted at her place of work. He vaulted a fence when he was spotted and despite a large-scale police search of the area was not caught.

In a personal statement the woman said she is now “living in survival mode”, constantly checking that her doors and windows are secure, fearing what  Bowes may do next and feeling very vulnerable.

Bowes, 29, of no fixed address, was sent back to jail for 32 months. He has several previous convictions for breaking court orders and has offences against other women.

He pleaded guilty to stalking causing serious distress between July 15 and August 6 and breach of the restraining order that bars him from going within 100 metres of the first woman’s home and place of work and from contacting her in any way.

Judge Simon Hickey extended the order until October 2039 and added a condition that Bowes does not refer to the woman in any social media post or get anyone else to refer to her.

Defence barrister Halima Kamran said Bowes had struggled with not being able to speak to his ex-partner following his release from prison and had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Ms Jenkins said Bowes was released from a prison sentence for breaching the restraining order on July 14 and late that day, the woman saw what she believed to be him sitting as a front seat passenger in a car circling her area.

The next day she received a friend request from a similar SnapChat profile to one he had used in the past and on July 18, she was woken by banging on her front door. Her CCTV captured Bowes coming and going from her property more than once.

On July 24, he was at her place at work and on August 5, at 11pm, he was banging on her front door. 

The next morning at 7am she woke to find him at her bedside, having got into her house when her adult son let the dogs out. 

Bowes told her he had been waiting for hours in her back garden, and spent some time at the house trying to persuade her to renew their relationship. He appeared to have been drinking.

She was too frightened to call police, was deeply disturbed and no longer felt safe in her own home.  

Bowes now accepted the relationship was over, the court heard.

It was a royal family affair at the Burghley Horse Trials today as Zara Tindall, Peter Phillips and his wife Harriet Sperling were all out in force. 

Peter, 48, and Harriet, 45, were the picture of wedded bliss as they exchanged smiles and held hands on day two of the annual event in Stamford, Lincolnshire. 

For the occasion, NHS nurse Harriet, who married the King’s nephew this summer, looked stylish in white, wide-leg trousers, a cropped black denim jacket, and a colourful printed blouse.

She finished her look with a pair of green suede ballet flats, a bright blue straw tote as well as a mini white clutch bag.

Meanwhile, Princess Anne‘s son donned a pair of navy trousers, a shirt and a gilet for a relaxed, sporty look.

They were joined by Peter’s sister Zara, an accomplished equestrian who takes part in the trials every year, their father, Captain Mark Phillips, 77, and his girlfriend Florence Standaert, 44.

The Princess Royal’s ex-husband has been rumoured to be dating the Belgian equestrian since 2022, with Florence also accompanying Captain Mark to Peter and Harriet’s ‘intimate’ Cotswolds wedding in June.

Harriet and Peter have spent their summer at an array of high society events – including Royal Ascot, Wimbledon and the Badminton Horse Trials – after tying the knot at All Saints Church in Kemble, Gloucestershire. 

Princess Anne’s daughter Zara cut a casual figure in a pair of slim-fitting jeans, a windbreaker, sneakers and a navy baseball cap 

Captain Mark Phillips, 77, pictured at the event with his girlfriend, Belgian equestrian Florence Standaert

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They arrived today at the Burghley Horse Trials to cheer for Zara, who cut a casual figure in a pair of slim-fit denim jeans, a windbreaker jacket, a navy baseball cap, and white sneakers. 

Her natural beauty shone through as the Olympic silver medallist sat down for an interview at the Burghley Horse Trials. 

It comes after Zara claimed her first major championship title in nearly 20 years after riding to victory at the Hartpury International Horse Trials and British Championships last month. 

Zara, 45, rode 17-year-old Class Affair to victory and took home a £5,000 prize.

An onlooker told HELLO! that Zara was having a ‘whale of a time’ as she competed, even shouting ‘Whee’ as she cleared the jumps.

They said: ‘Zara was in a crazy mood, she seemed super happy, smiling as she jumped over the jumps, even going “Whee”, she was smiling and beaming, kissing the horse.’

Speaking about her achievement, the onlooker added: ‘She’s taken this horse, who is on the downward trend, and taken him to glory in the British Open championships.’

The victory marked Zara’s first major championship title since she helped Britain claim team gold at the European Eventing Championships in 2007.

NHS nurse Harriet, who married the King’s nephew this summer, looked stylish in white, wide-leg trousers, a cropped black denim jacket, and a colourful printed blouse 

The Princess Royal’s ex-husband has been rumoured to be dating the Belgian equestrian since 2022, with Florence also accompanying Captain Mark to Peter and Harriet’s ‘intimate’ Cotswolds wedding in June

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Zara got her game face on for the Trials 

Zara during an interview at the Burghley Horse Trials today 

But despite her triumph, the royal was forced to celebrate without her family, with no relatives spotted cheering her on from the sidelines.

However, several members of her family were out to support Zara today, with Princess Anne expected to attend the event on Sunday in her role as President of World Horse Welfare. 

Zara is a serious international equestrian competitor, having garnered a gold medal at the European Eventing Championships in 2005 in addition to attaining a silver medal at the World Equestrian Games in 2006.

She has previously been crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year and has been nicknamed the Royal Olympian.

It comes after Peter and Harrieta wed in front of a host of royals and socialites at All Saints Church, in Kemble near Cirencester, not far from Princess Anne’s home at Gatcombe Park.

Guests at their nuptials included the King and Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, as well as Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, with their respective husbands Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank.

Harriet wore a white Emilia Wickstead gown and the Pragnell family tiara, while her wedding train was held by her three bridesmaids, her daughter Georgina, 14, and Peter’s children, Isla, 14, and Savannah, 15, with former wife Autumn Kelly, who all looked elegant in floral garlands and matching white dresses from the same designer.

The new Mrs Peter Phillips made her official debut as a member of the Royal Family at Royal Ascot shortly after, when she joined her husband in the traditional carriage procession. 

NHS nurse Ms Sperling looked the picture of elegance in a Suzannah London blue silk Biarritz dress and cream Jimmy Choo slingback heels as she took her place beside her new mother-in-law, Princess Anne, in the horse-drawn carriage.

Aside from the wedding ring on her left hand, the biggest hint at Ms Sperling’s recent nuptials came via the sky-blue Anya Hindmarch clutch bag she carried – embroidered with her new initials, HP.