Princess Beatrice puts on a stylish display in a scarlet dress as she heads for dinner with a pal

She has reportedly been forced to delay her wedding date announcement yet again amid the Megxit drama.

But Princess Beatrice didn’t appear to have a care in the world as she put on an animated display while heading to dinner with a pal at the Chiltern Firehouse restaurant in London on Friday.

The Royal, 31, cut a very chic figure in a scarlet skater dress and black velvet jacket as she made her way into the swanky eatery.

Her bold red gown featured ruching detail at the top, with Princess Beatrice pairing it with a pair of black tights.

She boosted her height with a pair of black, pointed heels, while she carried her essentials in a smart black handbag. 

The ninth in line to throne swept her auburn tresses into a high ponytail and she upped the glam with a sweep of subtle make-up.

Princess Beatrice appeared in a good mood as she cheerfully made her way into the restaurant accompanied by a friend, who was also clad in red and black.  

Style Princess: The Royal, 31, cut a very chic figure in a scarlet skater dress and black velvet jacket as she made her way into the swanky eatery

Her outing comes as the bride-in-waiting has been forced to delay her wedding date announcement once more.

First, Beatrice and her property developer fiancé Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi had to wait for a date to be agreed by the Queen, and then for the furore surrounding Prince Andrew to die down. 

After that, the planned venue, The Guards’ Chapel, St James’s Park, had to be changed when the Duke of York announced he would be suspending ties with various military associations. 

Generally, only current serving members of the military and their direct descendants can marry at the site, though exceptions can be made for civilians who are very well known to the church.

For this reason, the chapel was deemed to be a perfect choice – exclusive yet not traditionally Royal, and striking just the right note at a time when the Yorks’ prominence within the Royal Family is in flux.

Waiting to wed: Her outing comes as the bride-in-waiting has been forced to delay her wedding date announcement once more (pictured with fiancé Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi)

Drama: Beatrice and her property developer fiancé had to wait for a date to be agreed by the Queen, and then for the furore surrounding Prince Andrew to die down

However, the chapel, which played host to the wedding of Camilla and Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973, looks to be off the cards. 

The Election, Christmas and New Year then got in the way, and now Beatrice has been upstaged by Harry and Meghan. 

The wedding is said by sources to be planned for ‘early summer’ – before Royal Ascot week – but there’s no official date. And who knows what the Family might be up to by then? 

Princess Beatrice was given permission by the Queen to bring her fiancé to Sandringham for Christmas last year.

It is understood the Queen, like many senior royals, has felt desperately sorry for Beatrice, who announced her engagement in September after a short romance but has seen her happiness overshadowed by the ongoing fallout from her father’s friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his disastrous interview on BBC2’s Newsnight programme. 

Shame: It is understood the Queen, like many senior royals, has felt desperately sorry for Beatrice as her happiness is overshadowed by the ongoing fallout from her father’s friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his disastrous interview on BBC2’s Newsnight