Zara Phillips made a surprise appearance at a charity fashion show in New Zealand ahead of a showdown with husband Mike Tindall.

The England rugby star has been the subject of newspaper headlines after CCTV footage emerged of him kissing and hugging a woman in a bar.

Sources have stressed that she was an “old friend” of Ms Phillips and her husband, who was filmed at a New Zealand nightspot during an evening off last week after his team’s first World Cup match.

The Queen’s granddaughter had always planned to fly out to support her husband and England in the global tournament but there is speculation that she brought her plans forward.

Ms Phillips, wearing a sleeveless black dress, looked relaxed as she attended the fashion show staged by the CatWalk Spinal Cord Injury Trust in Auckland.

Top-price tickets for the fundraiser cost £1,000 and some of New Zealand’s biggest designers had their outfits modelled before a charity auction was held.

Ms Phillips is the Trust’s international patron and during the event praised fundraisers who are running the New York Marathon in aid of the organisation.

“I’m massively proud and in awe of you guys,” Ms Phillips reportedly said, adding: “I think you’re massively strong people to do something like that.”

The royal’s appearance at the fashion show was unexpected as there had been no publicity about her attending.

The couple have been apart for more than three weeks and only married seven weeks ago in Edinburgh in front of the Queen and the Royal Family.

The newlyweds’ first face-to-face conversation since the CCTV footage came to light is likely to be before England play Romania tomorrow.

At one point the video shows Mr Tindall wrapping his left arm around the woman before they share a kiss.

The pair continued to chat close to the exit of Altitude bar in Queenstown before Mr Tindall bowed his head and she grabbed it with both hands, kissing his crown.