Princess Alexandra has celebrated the 30th anniversary of the HMS Warrior’s return to Portsmouth.
The 80-year-old royal – who is a cousin of the monarch Queen Elizabeth II – is the royal patron of HMS Warrior Preservation Trust, and visited the coastal city on Monday (18.09.17) to mark the milestone anniversary of the Victorian battleship’s historic return to its dock at Portsmouth harbour.
The Royal Family Twitter account confirmed the news with a series of tweets including pictures of Alexandra – who is also known as The Honourable Lady Ogilvy – aboard the impressive ship.
The tweets read: "Princess Alexandra has visited @HMSWarrior1860 to mark the 30th anniversary of the Victorian battleship’s return to Portsmouth.
"HRH, Patron of the HMS Warrior Preservation Trust, was able to meet a number of staff & volunteers and was given an update on repair works.
"In March 1863 Warrior escorted the yacht that brought HRH’s great-grandmother, Princess Alexandra, to Britain to marry The Prince of Wales. (sic)"
The Princess’ visit marks the first time she has been to the site in two years, as she previously visited in 2015 to formally open the Heritage Lottery Funded (HLF) Project, which will allow for vital repair works that will secure the future of the ship.
Princess Alexandra isn’t the only royal to have visited Portsmouth for naval reasons recently, as earlier this year Princess Anne opened up the Princess Royal Jetty which would be home to the Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier that docked last month.
The Princess Royal Jetty is named as such after Anne herself, who bares the title of Princess Royal as she is the only daughter of the monarch, Queen Elizabeth.
During her visit, Princess Anne also unveiled a plaque at Portsmouth Naval Base to commemorate the opening of the jetty, which was previously known as the Middle Ship Jetty before undergoing its redevelopment.
Princess Alexandra visits HMS Warrior
