Here’s to many happy returns, as Princess Royal turns 70
As the Princess Royal celebrates her 70th birthday, takes a look at her many visits to Kent and Medway
As Princess Anne enters her 70s, she can reflect on thousands of official visits across the country. We can reveal the Queen’s only daughter, who celebrated her birthday on Saturday, has been on 41 official trips to Kent down the years, made up of 81 separate engagements.
The Princess Royal’s visits were either at the request of The Lord Lieutenant of Kent - Her Majesty’s representative in the county - or to see her charities, patronages or military connections.
She also attended Benenden school near Cranbrook where she remains closely connected and often hosts and attends events.
One of her most recent trips to the county came in
February when she visited
Tenterden to open a
£7.5m sheltered housing complex in Danemore, where she chatted with residents.
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In 2011, Princess Anne swapped horse and saddle for an air pistol as she helped open Medway Park in Gillingham, which kickstarted the five-day modern pentathlon European Championships.
During the visit she spoke to pupils from St Nicholas Infants’ school and tried her hand at some shooting with some of Europe’s then top athletes at the former Black Lion Leisure Centre.
It wasn’t the royal’s first visit to the Towns as she generated crowds in 1996 when she opened the Medway Tunnel, a route now used by thousands each day.
Princess Anne also visited a
Kent Messenger stand in 2003 at a Chatham Navy Days event where she took time to speak to some of the people involved in Pride of Medway. Heading to the other side of the county, Her Royal Highness, has had a fair share of fun visits to Dover. In October 1969, the then 19-yearold, named the second of British Rail’s Seaspeed hovercrafts after herself.
During her trip, she unveiled a nameplate, signed a portrait of herself inside the terminal building and then took a 30-minute trip on the hovercraft to the Goodwin Sands and back.
It wasn’t until 22 years later she would come face to face with a giant seagull and crab. During another trip to the town in 1991, Princess Anne was pictured alongside former district council chairman Paul Watkins as she walked past mascots Corporal Crabbe and Sid Seagull on her way to open the White Cliffs Experience in the town.
In the same year Anne paid a visit to Faversham on her trip to the Citizens’ Advice Bureau, where she was pictured chatting to a twoyear-old, named Patrick Hall, in the streets.
One of the Princess’s lesser-known links to Kent comes in the form of Strood hero Ronnie Russell who helped save her from an attempted kidnapping in London in 1974.
The former boxer received the George Medal after he floored a man who was trying to take the Queen’s daughter.
However, Mr Russell was forced to sell his gong last year for £50,000 to pay off expected funeral costs due to poor health and and to pay off a Las Vegas wedding he got on credit.