Princess Anne looks effortlessly cool in a huge pair of sunglasses as she arrived for her royal visit in Sri Lanka. The Princess Royal and her husband Sir Timothy Laurence flew into Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayak to mark the start of their two-day visit.
Anne, who is often deemed the hardest-working royal, has taken on the first overseas visit of 2024 at the request of the Foreign Office.
The Palace also confirmed, prior to the trip, that Anne will undertake engagement and meet with local communities and faith groups in Colombo – the country’s capital. The royal will also visit the city of Kandy in central Sri Lanka and Jaffna on the northern tip of the country.
To begin the visit, Anne was also accompanied by Andrew Patrick, who is the British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka.
The couple opted to fly with SriLankan Airlines, which took to social media to welcome the royal couple onboard.
Alongside picture of the couple boarding the plane, the airline penned in the caption: “A service fit for a royal! We are delighted to welcome onboard Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal on her journey from London to Colombo on a two-day official visit to mark the 75 years of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and the UK.”
“It is truly an honour to extend Her Royal Highness and the delegation our inherent Sri Lankan warmth and hospitality, thereby presenting the first taste of our island home through our service.”
The airline also took the opportunity to thank the couple for choosing their airline to accompany them on the visit.
The visit marks Anne’s second visit to Sri Lanka – her first being in 1995.
Anne travelled to the South Asian country 29 years ago to visit projects set up by Save The Children – a charity that she has supported for over 50 years and is a proud patron of.
Other royals have also visited Sri Lanka previously, including King Charles and the late Queen Elizabeth II.
In 1998, when he was still Prince of Wales, the now-King Charles attended the country’s 50th anniversary of Independence Day.
The late Queen made an official visit to Sri Lanka with her husband, Prince Philip, in 1954.
During the visit, the late monarch famously rewore her coronation gown.
The King and Queen Camilla are also set to fly overseas later this year, including a visit to Canada in May. They will also fly to Australia, New Zealand and Samoa in October.
