You'll Never Believe Where Princess Anne Was Just Spotted
It's shocking to no one that Princess Anne, the hardest working royal, is already back to work following the heartbreaking death of Queen Elizabeth II. What is surprising is where the Princess Royal chose to call her office on Monday, October 4.
Following through on a trip that had been scheduled before Queen Elizabeth's death, Princess Anne turned up in New York City in early October and proceeded to attend multiple formal events, per Tatler. This makes Princess Anne the first royal to visit the United States since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle moved abruptly to California.
According to a palace source, King Charles III gave his younger sister permission to carry out the trip, marking an official end to the royal mourning period (via People). Charles and Anne both first visited the United States in 1970, not on an official trip, The New York Times reported at the time, but as personal guests of former president Richard Nixon, who Queen Elizabeth had an interesting relationship with. When Princess Anne arrived at the White House, she was overheard saying that she "didn't know they made so many cameras" and, according to The New York Times, "made no effort to conceal a mood of incredulity and vague discomfort."
The Princess Royal was in New York City for a few pre-planned events, including being the guest of honor at a gala at The Cosmopolitan Club with the English Speaking Union of the Commonwealth and visiting Staten Island by ferry.
Princess Anne took a ferry to Staten Island
The New York City Department of Transportation tweeted a photo of Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, welcoming her aboard the Staten Island Ferry on October 4. According to Long Island Live, the princess took the journey in the ferry's pilothouse, where she was able to watch a FDNY fire boat put on a "magnificent water display" before the ferry docked. The New York Post adds that Anne was snuck on and off the boat, though the ferry was followed closely by NYPD patrol boats.
The visit to Staten Island was the reason Princess Anne was in the area to begin with. Long Island Live reports the National Lighthouse Museum's executive director, Linda Dianto, wrote Buckingham Palace back in 2017, asking if Anne would chair the museum's fundraising campaign. The campaign's aim is to continue conservation projects and expand the existing museum, per Express.
Anne's visit — almost 65 years to the day Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the princess's parents, visited the area — included attending an unveiling of a miniature of Needles Lighthouse, a lighthouse located in the Isle of Wight. She also addressed the small group gathered for a luncheon where she discussed how lighthouses help educate people about "the importance of maritime in all of its formats."
Anne added, "It's not just about trade, but the impact of what we do to the sea and how we can look after it better, and the way in which it affects our lives."
These were the other events Princess Anne attended when she was in NYC
Besides visiting the National Lighthouse Museum in St. George on Staten Island, Tatler reports Princess Anne visiting the Residence of His Majesty's Consul-General in New York to "present honors." Acting as patrol of the Campaign for Gordonstoun, the Princess Royal attended a gala dinner by the Gordonstoun American Foundation at the Racquet and Tennis Club on Park Avenue.
According to Gordonstoun's website, Princess Anne never attended the academy like her father, Prince Philip, and brothers, King Charles III, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward. When Princess Anne was school-aged, the school was still boys-only. She did, however, send both of her children there. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Anne explained that she's a "firm believer in the benefits of boarding school," which she helps support not only through her work with Gordonstoun, but also through her work with the Royal National Children's SpringBoard Foundation. The princess explained the foundation works to help transition children from chaotic homes into boarding schools.
The other charity gala the Princess Royal attended was with the English-Speaking Union of the United States. According to the foundation's website, Queen Elizabeth II had been the patron from 1957 until her death on September 8. Originally founded in 1920, the group was meant to continue to foster positive relationships between the United States and United Kingdom in the wake of World War I.