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British RoyalsPrincess Anne and Family

Keeping up with Anne: the Princess Royal’s week

It’s been a seaside kind of week for the Princess Royal. Anne has headed to the coast and taken to the water in a busy seven days which saw her carry out a string of engagements across the UK before flying to Luxembourg at the weekend to attend the funeral of Grand Duke Jean. The princess has covered hundreds of miles and met dozens of people in another packed week. Let’s take a deep breath and try to keep up with Anne.

The water themed week began in Cornwall where the Princess Royal, as patron of the National Coastwatch Institution, headed to the UK’s most southerly point, the Lizard. The NCI is a voluntary organisation which keeps watch around the coastline to help save lives.

Anne’s visit, on Monday April 29th 2019, took her to Bass Point, the NCI’s first ever station, which was set up following the loss of a fishing boat in the waters off the Cornish coast. She heard about the organisation’s work and helped mark its 25th anniversary at a reception held later at the Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose in Helston.

The Princess Royal’s day in Cornwall also saw her travel to Redruth where she visited United Downs Deep Geothermal Project. While in Redruth, Anne also popped in to the Get Out There Group which is run by Sense – the National Deafblind and Rubella Association, of which she is patron.  The group is marking its tenth anniversary this year and the princess met some of the young people who have been supported by it and then enjoyed a play put on by them just for her.

Less than 24 hours later, the Princess Royal was in Edinburgh where she carried out 5 engagements across the day. First on the list was a visit to Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations’ Council to open their new offices and to help mark its 150th anniversary.

Anne then went on to a centenary reception for Save the Children UK of which she is patron. The event was held at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. Then it was back to the water as the princess headed to the Vine Trust Barge at Leith Docks in the city. Anne is the patron of the Vine Trust, which is an international volunteering charity, and during her latest visit she heard about its future projects as well as meeting some of those supporting the organisation.

The Princess Royal later held a reception at Charlotte Square in Edinburgh for the Riding for the Disabled Association of which she is President before returning to the sea for a dinner on board the FINGAL in Alexandra Dock, held for the Vine Trust.

On Wednesday, Anne was back in London where she attended the Whitley Fund for Nature’s annual awards. The organisation works to support proven conservation leaders in the Global South, a term coined by the World Bank for countries on what are described as low and middle incomes in Asia, Africa, South America and the Caribbean. Anne is the Fund’s patron.

During her speech at the event, the princess said the conservationists working with the organisation ”make a real difference within their local communities and to the natural habitats of their chosen species” and she praised their achievements, describing them as ”outstanding”. She then handed out the prizes, known as the ”Green Oscars”.

Having spent a whole day away from the water, Princess Anne was back on the waves on Thursday as she helped mark the centenary of Emsworth Sailing Club in Hampshire. The princess, who is patron of the Royal Yachting Association, met many of the club’s sailors and was given a demonstration of water skills by younger members as she headed out to sea with them – albeit very close to the coast itself.

This week’s busy diary brings Anne’s total number of engagements for 2019 to 162. The Princess Royal carried out the most engagements of all the Windsors in 2018 with a total of 518 for the year.

About author

Lydia Starbuck is Jubilee and Associate Editor at Royal Central and the main producer and presenter of the Royal Central Podcast and Royal Central Extra. Lydia is also a pen name of June Woolerton who is a journalist and writer with over twenty years experience in TV, radio, print and online. Her latest book, A History of British Royal Jubilees, is out now. Her new book, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr, will be published in March 2024. June is an award winning reporter, producer and editor. She's appeared on outlets including BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Local Radio and has also helped set up a commercial radio station. June is also an accomplished writer with a wide range of material published online and in print. She is the author of two novels, published as e-books. She is also a marriage registrar and ceremony celebrant.