As 2019 reached its midway point, the Princess Royal’s already packed diary began to heat up even more. Two overseas visits as well as a string of engagements at home saw the princess busier than ever. Take a deep breath, it’s time to keep up with Anne.
The last week of June saw the Princess Royal head to Switzerland for a meeting of the International Olympic Committee of which she is a member. Anne arrived in Lausanne on June 23rd and soon afterwards attended the IOC Session Welcome Dinner. The following day, Monday June 24th 2019, she was at the IOC session where members discussed, among other issues, who would host the 2026 Winter Olympics with Milan defeating Stockholm in the final vote.
The Princess Royal returned to England that night before heading off on Tuesday for northern France. There, she officially opened the new visitors’ centre of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission based at Beaurains. She was accompanied by her husband, Sir Tim Laurence, as he completed his final days as Vice Chair of the organisation.
Anne was back in England the same evening where she attended the Succession Dinner of the Fishmnongers’ Company of which she is Fourth Warden. The event was held in the City of London.
On June 26th, the Princess Royal held audiences at St. James’ Palace in London in her role as Patron of the Association of Wrens. She received the organisation’s outgoing President, Commandant Anthea Larken, and then met with her successor, Captain Alison Towler RN.
Next on the royal agenda was an event marking the fiftieth anniversary of the launch of the hovercraft, ‘The Princess Anne’. The celebrations were held at the Hovercraft Museum in Lee-on-Solent in Hampshire. And there was another anniversary for Anne later the same day as she headed to the Royal Lymington Yacht Club of which she is patron. They were marking thirty five years of the Wednesday Junior Sailing Programme.
The day ended in London with another dinner, this time at Spencer House for the Animal Health Trust. Anne is president of the organisation which focuses on scientific and veterinary research supporting good health for cats, dogs and horses.
The Princess Royal ended her week by celebrating Armed Forces’ Day. Again accompanied by Sir Tim Laurence, she headed to Salisbury for the national event. There she took the salute at a parade that included over 1,300 service personnel and veterans.
We’re now half way through the year and in the first six months of 2019, the Princess Royal carried out 233 engagements. Anne was the busiest member of the Royal Family in 2018 with a total that year of 518 engagements.