Princess Anne’s message for Kiwis after visiting Cyclone Gabrielle response staff. Video / TVNZ
Princess Anne has met with riders and volunteers at the Riding for the Disabled Association in Porirua today while visiting New Zealand.
During her visit this afternoon along with her husband Sir Tim Laurence, the Princess Royal unveiled a plaque to commemorate her visit to the organisation, of which she is a patron.
It’s a well-known fact that like her late mother the Queen, Anne loves horses and is a daring rider. While many of the royals enjoy playing polo, Anne has in the past preferred a riskier take on the hobby.
Anne met with riders and volunteers and handed out ribbons during her visit. Photo / Getty Images
She suffered a fall during the 1976 Olympics when her horse, Goodwill, failed to make one of the jumps on the course. She quickly remounted, but reportedly remembered little of the rest of the course as she’d suffered a concussion.
During last year’s Trooping the Colour parade, Anne rode on horseback in her royal colonel uniform, alongside the now-King Charles, Prince Andrew and Prince William.
Photos taken during her visit to the RDA in Porirua today show Anne in her element, smiling as she handed out ribbons to the riders and spoke with them and their family members.
The Princess Royal is in New Zealand for a four-day visit. Photo / Getty Images
The Princess Royal arrived in Wellington yesterday and met with cyclone response staff at the National Crisis Management Centre as her four-day visit to Aotearoa began.
“My thoughts are with all New Zealanders whose homes or livelihoods have been affected by Cyclone Gabrielle,” she said in a statement.
“I have been given the opportunity to visit the national disaster and crisis headquarters today and I am impressed by the major efforts being undertaken by first responders, local and national agencies to ensure the best possible support for everyone, especially those still at risk.”
Anne was later pictured attending the Service of Remembrance at Pukeahu National War Memorial in the capital, after visiting Te Papa to see the museum’s Gallipoli exhibition.
She was initially meant to travel to Linton, near Palmerston North, to attend the 100th anniversary celebrations of the NZ Army’s Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals, of which she is Colonel in Chief.
Anne will travel to Christchurch next, set to rededicate the Citizens’ War Memorial in Cathedral Square at midday tomorrow.
She will lay a wreath and unveil a plaque as part of the half-hour ceremony. She won’t be doing a walkabout, but the public is welcome to observe the event.
