Anne, the Princess Royal will be coming to Victoria in early May for a short visit to Canada, marking the first official royal visit to Canada since the death of her mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The Princess Royal has scheduled a Canadian visit between May 3rd and 5th—although what she will be doing and where she will be remains vague.
In the Royal Diary, all that she has on her itinerary reads, “will visit Canada.”
However, two non-profit organizations based in Greater Victoria have since reached out to Victoria Buzz saying that she will be visiting them during this quick three day trip, meaning that the Princess Royal will be spending at least a portion of her time on the island.
Museum tour in Victoria
The first organization who have announced that the Princess Royal will be coming to their facility is the Maritime Museum of BC.
In a media release, they announced that Princess Anne and her husband, Sir Tim Laurence, would have a chance to see the current exhibits as well as the museum’s collections and archives.
The two royals will also have the opportunity to meet the museum’s Board of Directors, staff, and volunteers to discuss ongoing projects and connect this royal visit to the coastal maritime life, exemplified by some of the objects in their collections.
The Maritime Museum of BC says that without Princess Anne’s father, Prince Phillip, their organization would not exist.
“During their 1951 visit to Victoria, Queen Elizabeth II (then Princess) and Prince Phillip toured the navy base in Esquimalt–very fitting for Prince Phillip with his naval background. He inquired about a naval museum on this coast. When told there was none, he set about to change that,” said Brittany Vis, Executive Director of the Maritime Museum of BC.
“When he got home to England he contacted the Greenwich Museum and asked them to send some objects to BC to start a new naval museum. These objects, along with objects from local individuals, started our organization as a naval museum on Signal Hill just outside the gates of the HMC Dockyard in Esquimalt.”
The museum says that they will make sure Princess Anne gets to see these first artifacts they garnered because of her father as well as many others they’ve collected through the years.
The Princess Royal will be at the Maritime Museum of BC on Saturday, May 4th.
Horseback riding on the Saanich Peninsula
The second organization to announce the royals would be visiting them is the Victoria Therapeutic Riding Association (VTRA).
The VTRA says that Princess Anne and Sir Tim Laurence will visit their riding facility on the last day of her royal visit, Sunday, May 5th.
They are a non-profit charitable organization who use horseback riding as a method of therapeutic aid for children and adults of diverse abilities.
For this occasion, VTRA staff, volunteers, and students will share highlights of their programs and many successes with The Princess Royal.
Princess Anne is a known and avid lover of horses and some of the students of the VTRA will get to demonstrate their riding abilities to her on this occasion.
“I see the smiles, the joy, the calm within the riders and their families and I just want to be able to share this with the world,” said Annie Brothwell, VTRA Board Chair.
“Her Royal Highness is a keen and successful equestrian, and she understands the connection between the rider and the horse.”
The Princess Royal will likely be making a handful of other appearances around Greater Victoria while in town, but for now, the Royal Family are remaining tight-lipped about what exactly she will be doing while in town.
