She is known as the no-nonsense Royal. So who else would carry Princess Anne’s heavy bags on an extended visit to Sri Lanka?

She is known as the most no-nonsense member of the royal family.

So Princess Anne insisted on traveling to SRI Lanka on a scheduled service this week for a whirlwind three-day official visit – and even carried her own suitcases.

The King’s 73-year-old sister is on the island on behalf of the British government to celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which includes a range of public engagements.

Sri Lankan Airlines posted photos on social media of her boarding their plane in London, without make-up and carrying two heavy overnight bags, accompanied by her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.

And despite a red carpet and a colorful official welcome on the other side of Colombo, she declined every offer of help and happily carried three bags down the stairs of the plane.

However, she had swapped her camel-coloured casual wool shawl for a smart blazer and her signature sporty sunglasses – and seemed delighted by the singers and dancers who greeted her with baskets of flowers.

Andrew Patrick, the British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, was among the dignitaries who formally welcomed the Princess, saying afterwards: ‘This visit is the best possible way to celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations with Sri Lanka.’

“That’s the goal, to show her as much of the country, as much of the diversity as we can, and we think this is the first visit by a member of the royal family to Jaffna, certainly in many, many years, so that will be historic.’

Upon her arrival at Bandaranaike International Airport, the Princess Royal signed the Golden Book for VIP visitors.

In the coming days, she will undertake engagements in Colombo, Kandy and Jaffna to meet with local communities and faith groups and celebrate relations between the two countries.

Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, was a British colony that gained independence in 1948.

On the first day of her visit, Anne, who shows no signs of slowing down despite turning 74 this year, was welcomed by Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister before immediately leaving for the MAS Active factory, one of the largest clothing and textile companies in the world. South East Asia and an important partner for many UK businesses.

The Princess, chair of the UK Fashion and Textile Association, met staff and toured the facilities.

She then visited the Sri Lankan headquarters of Save The Children – a charity of which she is also a patron and with which she has a long association – to mark the 50th anniversary of her work in the country.

As part of the charity celebrations, Her Royal Highness took part in the tradition of lighting a ceremonial oil lamp symbolizing hope and prosperity – the very lamp she had lit on her previous visit almost 30 years ago.

The Princess also received a gift box containing artwork from some of the many thousands of young people Save the Children has supported through programs tackling the impact of poverty, violence, natural disasters and the climate crisis.

There was barely time to catch her breath before she headed to Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children, where Save The Children pioneered a social emotional learning program known as Tilli, which uses games and storytelling to help parents and teachers with issues around trust . , consent, bodies and boundaries.

The innovative program helps young people from across the country, many of whom suffer from chronic illnesses, express their feelings and build resilience through games and play.

Princess Anne also spoke to a team of pediatric consultants and child protection experts about the charity’s support for children in hospital, which began in response to the double blow of the Covid-19 pandemic and a crippling economic crisis that has devastated many Sri Lankan families tipped. in poverty.

Her Royal Highness became President of Save the Children UK in 1970, before transitioning to the role of Patron in 2017. She last visited the charity’s work in Sri Lanka in 1995.

During this leg of the royal tour, Her Royal Highness was photographed by the son of the photographer who captured her previous visit.

Julian Chellappah, Country Director of Save the Children Sri Lanka, said: “As Save the Children celebrates the 50th anniversary of its operations in Sri Lanka, we could not be more pleased that Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal has chosen to return here turn to be the first to witness – hand in our life-changing work – and see something of the impact we have had over the past 50 years.

Her presence is vital in raising awareness of the challenges faced by vulnerable children and their families here.”

Her day will end with a meeting with the President of Sri Lanka, His Excellency Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The princess’s visit is the royal family’s first foreign tour in 2024 and reinforces its reputation as a hard-working royal.