Anne visit to heal Russian relations
Princess Royal to speak of ‘shared history’ at ceremony to honour sacrifices made by Arctic Convoy servicemen
PRINCESS ANNE is to visit Russia – where she will commemorate those who gave their lives to keep the Soviet Union supplied during the Second World War – to improve the strained relations between the two countries.
The Daily Telegraph understands that the Princess Royal, who is attending a series of events to honour those who served on the Arctic Convoys, will use the occasion to speak of the “shared history” between Britain and Russia.
The ceremonies will take place today and tomorrow in the northern city of Arkhangelsk, the destination point for the convoys which carried vital supplies for the beleaguered Soviet Union in its struggle against Nazi Germany.
More than 3,000 Allied seamen were killed during the long-running operation, which ran between 1941 and 1945 and which Winston Churchill had warned would involve “the worst journey in the world”.
By the time Hitler had been vanquished, as many as 87 Merchant Navy and 18 Royal Navy vessels had been sunk along the route.
This month marks the 75th anniversary of the launch of the Arctic Convoys and during her visit Princess Anne will pay tribute to the heroism and sacrifice of the operation’s crews.
According to palace sources she is also expected talk about the possibility of Britain and Russia “looking forward” to continued relations.
Her visit comes at a time of renewed tension between the two countries over issues such as the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, its human rights record and its current role in Syria.
The men who served on the Arctic Convoys are still lauded as heroes by many older Russians, who remember the part they played in helping the Soviet Union endure the war.
In all, around 1,400 merchant vessels made the passage through some of the world’s most perilous waters, accompanied by ships of the Royal Navy, the US Navy and other Allied fleets. Among the heavy casualties was the single largest convoy, codenamed PQ17. The fleet, carrying 150,000 tons of military and general supplies, was inter- cepted by the German battleship Tirpitz in July 1942. Of the convoy’s original 36 merchant ships, only 11 reached Arkhangelsk.
Veterans of the Arctic Convoys and the Band of HM Royal Marines will participate in the commemorative ceremonies in Arkhangelsk.
In recent years surviving servicemen who risked their lives in the operation have received awards from both the Russian and British governments.
British veterans were presented with the Arctic Star award in a ceremony organised by Downing Street in March 2013, whilst the following year Russia’s Consul General awarded 214 Ushakov medals, one of Russia’s most prestigious naval awards, to veterans or their families in Glasgow.
Princess Anne has paid more visits to Russia and, previously, the USSR, than any other member of the Royal Family. She undertook the first official visit by any British royal to the USSR in May 1990, when she met President Mikhail Gorbachev and placed a wreath by the monument to Soviet casualties of the battle of Stalingrad. This visit followed an unofficial trip she had made to the country in 1973 as a member of the British Equestrian Team.
The Princess Royal returned in 2000 to open the new premises of the British Embassy in Moscow and again in 2014, when in her capacity as Honorary President of the British Olympic Association she attended the opening ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics.
This was followed by a four-day tour to St Petersburg and Moscow, where she unveiled a plaque in Russian and English commemorating the victims of the First World War and laid a wreath beside the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin walls.