From August 30-31, Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, will be in Russia visiting the Arkhangelsk region as they commemorate the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the first Arctic convoys from Great Britain.
The convoys landed at the port of Arkhangelsk during the Second World War and demonstrated the Allies’ commitment to helping the Soviet Union in the period before the Second Front opened. Approximately 78 convoys of merchant vessels sailed from the United Kingdom, Iceland and North America to the northern ports of Arkhangelsk and Murmansk between August 1941 and May 1945. The convoys delivered essential supplies to the Soviet Union and were accompanied by the Royal Navy and U.S. Navy.
Large-scale commemoration events are planned in Arkhangelsk and will include the participation of 35 Russian war veterans.
Igor Orlov, the governor of the Arkhangelsk region spoke out about the Princess Royal’s visit during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 22nd. He said, ‘Ten people from Britain are coming. Princess Anne has confirmed her participation in this event; the Royal brass band of Britain is coming, too.’
Putin was quoted as saying of the commemorative events, ‘These people definitely deserve our attention’.
The Princess Royal’s visit to Arkhangelsk will follow what has been a busy few weeks for the royal who spent time in Rio de Janeiro Brazil for the 2016 Olympic Games. There to represent both the Royal Family and the International Olympic Committee, Princess Anne had the opportunity to present medals to the men’s rugby sevens winners in her capacity as a member of the IOC, in addition to taking in the sports and spectacle.
The princess Royal has been a British representative of the IOC for the past 30 years and competed as an Olympic athlete herself as a member of the British equestrian team at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada.