Sir Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster put on loved-up display after slamming 'rift' claims

Sir Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster presented a united front whilst at the WellChild Awards this week.

The couple, who have been together for more than two decades, seemed to be in good spirits as they posed for photos with their eldest son Alastair Stewart, 18, at the event on Monday. The WellChild Awards, which celebrate the achievements of seriously ill children and their families, were this year held at the Royal Lancaster in London.

Rod, 79, Penny, 53, and Alastair were among the guests including Prince Harry in attendance. The outing comes following speculation of a rift between Rod and his wife, which the singer-songwriter ended up addressing in a statement last month.

The family appeared coordinated, with Penny wearing a grey striped shirt teamed with a knee-length leather skirt and a pair of heels. Rod sported a black blazer, matching striped trousers and grey loafers, whilst son Alastair wore a grey suit and black shoes.

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Rod and Penny's relationship was said to be under strain after the Loose Women star reportedly became "furious" with her husband for refusing to vacate their Los Angeles mansion. They had reportedly agreed to offload the property in the US and permanently relocate to the UK, to their countryside estate in Essex. However, it was alleged that Sir Rod had a change of heart, leading to a "stalemate" over their disagreement. "Penny has no plans to return to LA, which she's not a fan of, while Rod has no plans to move back right now" a source told MailOnline.

However, Rod addressed the swirling rumours of tension with his wife Penny as he clarified on Instagram last month: "We wanted to put the record straight. There is absolutely no rift between Penny and I and no disagreement over where we should reside, in fact it's the opposite. We moved back to our beloved Britain a year ago but are fortunate enough to also have homes in different countries, which we love to visit."

He further explained their decision regarding their LA property: "Originally we did think it made sense to sell our house in LA, but having spent a wonderful time there this summer with family and friends during my Vegas residency, we realised that it makes sense to keep our house there."

Rod added a heartfelt note about their relationship, saying: "Two of my eldest children still live in Celtic House (the LA residence). Penny and I could not be more in love with each other after 27 glorious years. Please trust me on this ... there's no disharmony in our marriage."

Having been married twice before, Rod started his romance with Penny in 1999, and they exchanged vows in 2007. Penny once shared their commitment to staying close, saying they vowed "not to spend more than 10 days apart".

The Express reports that in 2017, Penny offered a glimpse into their life together, sharing: "He is still working hard he is not going to retire anytime soon. For the first year of our relationship, he was in America and I was in the UK, I was still studying at college, so we had that separation.

"I thought if this is going to work then this is going to make a very strong foundation and it will give us better leverage for later on. But nowadays with the kids still school and Rod at work, we've made a pact to not spend any longer than 10 days apart. The longest we spent apart was two weeks and we were like 'this is too much, we can't do this'."

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