The Princess Royal will attend two ceremonies to mark Anzac Day alongside her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, tomorrow in London on behalf of the Royal Family.
The Princess Royal and Sir Tim Laurence will attend the Anzac Day Dawn Service at Wellington Arch in the early hours of Sunday morning. Princess Anne will lay a wreath at the memorial and sign the Book of Remembrance. She last attended the event in 2015 to mark the centenary of the landings at Gallipoli. Later on Sunday, the Princess and her husband will attend he Anzac Day Service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey.
Princess Anne is not the only member of the Royal Family marking Anzac Day; the Duke of Cambridge sent a message to the New Zealand and Australian High Commissions in London on Friday. He said, in part, “Today we stand together to reflect not only on their sacrifices, but also their courage, sense of duty, and their famously indomitable spirit.“
Anzac Day is an annual holiday that commemorates Australian and New Zealand service people who were killed in war and honours those in the military who have returned home. It has been marked in the United Kingdom since 1916 – the first anniversary of the ANZAC landings at Gallipoli. King George V attended a service that year at Westminster Abbey.
The Royal Family has a close relationship with Australia and New Zealand as they are both part of the Commonwealth. Members of the family have paid several official visits to both island countries over the years.
