Princess Anne.Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Princess Annemade a surprise visit to New York City that included a trip on one of the Big Apple’s more unique modes of public transit.
On Tuesday, the N.Y.C. Department of Transportation shared a photo on Twitter ofAnne, 72, aboard the Staten Island Ferry, which shuttles commuters and passengers between lower Manhattan and the borough of Staten Island for free at all hours of the day.
“We were pleased to welcome Her Royal Highness Princess Anne to the #StatenIslandFerry today,” the Department of Transportation wrote on Twitter alongside the photo, which shows Princess Anne looking out over the waters of New York Harbor.
Queen Elizabeth’s only daughter arrived in New York on a flight to John F. Kennedy International Airport from London on Monday and spoke at a gala dinner for theEnglish-Speaking Union of the United States. The next day, she visited the National Lighthouse Museum in St. George, Staten Island, according to theStaten Island Advance.
Princess Anne was named honorary chair for the museum’s Illuminating Future Generations campaign, a fundraising effort the museum launched in January to raise money for preservation and expansion of its gallery space, according to theAdvance.
The Princess Royal, who theAdvancecalled “one of the great champions in the international lighthouse community,” took a tour of the museum with curator Amanda Nesci and unveiled a miniature figurine of Needles Lighthouse on the U.K.’s Isle of Wright in memory of her parents,Queen ElizabethandPrince Phillip, before departing back to Manhattan, the paper reports.
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“The lighthouse still has a really important part to play,” Princess Anne added. “The story that goes with lighthouses and how we got here is just as important, and [the] museum has made an astonishing impact in telling that story. What you do needs scope, to tell more of that story.”
Princess Anne at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth.Martin Meissner - Pool/Getty
Princess Anne’s visit to Staten Island came nearly 65 years afterQueen ElizabethandPrince Philiptoured the borough during a trip to the United States on Oct. 21, 1957.
A palace source tells PEOPLE that Princess Anne’s visit to New York was scheduled beforeQueen Elizabeth’s death. King Charles, Anne’s brother, permitted her to go ahead with the trip as planned.
ARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty
Princess Anne’s trip to the U.S. marks a wider return to royal duties among members of the family following the mourning period forQueen Elizabeth, which ended a week after the monarch’s funeral on Sept. 19.
source: people.com
