The hardest working royal is working her charms in Scotland. Princess Anne arrived in the Inverness to visit the Inverness Creative Academy Arts Centre.
The area’s first major creative hub opened earlier this year after a four-year, six-million pound renovation. The Princess Royal was the first visitor to new exhibit, “Home and Away.”
This exhibit features artists with Highland connections. Inverness artist Frank To, along with his students, met Princess Anne. He commented: “It went well. She spoke mostly to the students. I think it’s great to have someone like that to acknowledge the building and the students.”
The centre has an OpenArts initiative which supports wellbeing, promotes social inclusion and increase accessibility to the arts for disadvantaged groups. The academy also formed ties with the University of the Highlands and Islands. Princess Anne is chancellor of this university.
The academy offers workspaces for artists, offices for charities and creative groups. The building itself was built in 1895 and has gone through many changes. When unveiling a plaque, the Princess Royal commented on the building: “Buildings of this heritage do have so much to offer.”
Eleven-year-old twins presented a vase to Princess Anne. The creator of the vase, Catherine Carr, was honoured to be part of the celebration: “It took ages to get the right colours and the right design that everybody was happy with. I am pretty impressed that she has it–it’s amazing.”
Chief Executive Audrey Carlin said this about the royal visit: “We have been honoured to welcome HRH The Princess Royal to Inverness Creative Academy and proud to showcase the new cultural addition to the city and region. It fits well with her interests and background, as a supporter of charities, creativity and her connections with Scotland.”
