The Princess Royal in Australia & Singapore

Australia

From Saturday 8th November to Tuesday 11th November, The Princess Royal visited Australia to mark the 100th anniversary of the Royal Australian Corps of Signals, of which Her Royal Highness is Colonel-in-Chief. The Princess was undertaking a series of military engagements in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane during the four-day visit to commemorate the centenary. 

Saturday 8th November: Sydney, Australia

Upon arriving in Sydney, Her Royal Highness and Sir Tim Laurence were welcomed by a Smoking Ceremony, before being received by the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, Her Excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn.

As President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), Her Royal Highness accompanied by Sir Tim Laurence, attended a Service of Remembrance at the Sydney War Cemetery, during which The Princess Royal laid a wreath. 

While at the cemetery, Her Royal Highness and Sir Tim also visited the Sydney Memorial of the Missing and met the family of Sergeant Brett Wood, who served in The Royal Australian Regiment and died in Afghanistan.

At Government House Sydney, The Princess Royal and Sir Tim Laurence were welcomed by a Smoking Ceremony and Her Royal Highness received a Royal Salute by Australia’s Federation Guard.

Her Royal Highness held an Audience with the Governor of New South Wales, Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley.

Sunday 9th November: Sydney, Australia

On her second day in Australia, The Princess Royal, accompanied by Sir Tim Laurence, marked Remembrance Sunday at the ANZAC Memorial at Hyde Park in Sydney. 

At the service, Her Royal Highness gave a Remembrance Reading and laid a wreath.

As Colonel-In-Chief of the Royal Australian Corps of Signals and Royal Patron of the Certa Cito Foundation, The Princess Royal, accompanied by Sir Tim, visited the Victoria Barracks to commemorate 100 years since the formation of the Corps. 

Her Royal Highness received a Royal Salute, before inspecting the Parade and Australian Army Band. The Princess then presented the 2 Signal Regiment Flag to the Commanding Officer Designate and addressed the Parade. 

At a garden reception following the Parade, Her Royal Highness and Sir Tim met serving and retired personnel and families. The Princess Royal, as Royal Patron of the Certa Cito Foundation, unveiled a Certa Cito Centenary Cube and said a few words.

Monday 10th November: Melbourne, Australia

Accompanied by Sir Tim Laurence, The Princess Royal began the day at Victoria Police Memorial, Melbourne to commemorate the support provided to the community by the Victoria Police. 

Her Royal Highness laid a wreath and met family and friends of two Victoria Police Officers who were killed in the line of duty, Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart. 

As Colonel-In-Chief of the Royal Australian Corps of Signals, The Princess paid a Centenary visit to Simpson Barracks, Melbourne. Here, Her Royal Highness received a Royal Salute and inspected the Quarter Guard. 

Later, Her Royal Highness and Sir Tim visited stands for the Defence Force School of Signals Capability. The Princess heard about how training is delivered and watched demonstrations of the key equipment used. 

As Royal Patron of the Certa Cito Foundation, The Princess Royal unveiled a sculpture to commemorate the Centenary year of the Royal Australian Corps of Signals. At the sculpture, Her Royal Highness also lay a wreath. 

The Princess and Sir Tim toured the Royal Australian Corps of Signals Museum, before unveiling a plaque to commemorate the visit.

Tuesday 11th November: Brisbane, Australia

The Princess Royal and Sir Tim Laurence began their final day in Australia, visiting Gallipoli Barracks in Brisbane where there was a Service of Remembrance and Her Royal Highness will lay a wreath. 

The Princess and Sir Tim proceeded to a Vehicle Bay, where Her Royal Highness heard about the regiments’ capabilities and how each regiment employs specialised equipment in theatre. 

The Princess Royal and Sir Tim later spent time with serving and retired personnel and their families.

Her Royal Highness and Sir Tim also visited Duncan Oval, where they attended the Corps Week Sports activities. The Princess fired the starting pistol for the inaugural race, and they watched a tug of war. 

On the rugby pitches, Her Royal Highness and Sir Tim met some of the Signals rugby club representative and retired personnel and families. 

The Princess Royal also unveiled a Certa Cito Centenary Cube, presented trophies and awards and said a few words to commemorate the visit.

Singapore

On Wednesday 12th and Thursday 13th November, Her Royal Highness will travel to Singapore to mark 60 years of diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and Singapore, at the request of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. 

During the two-day visit, Her Royal Highness will have Audiences with the President and with the Prime Minister of Singapore and visit Kranji War Memorial. On the final day of the tour, The Princess Royal will visit the Airbus Asia Training Centre and Rolls-Royce’s Seletar campus.

Wednesday 12th November: Singapore

The Princess Royal, accompanied by Sir Tim Laurence, conducted her first day of engagements in Singapore.

As President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), Her Royal Highness and Sir Tim visited the Kranji War Cemetery. The Princess Royal viewed the recent VJ commemorations held at the Memorial while a Piper played. 

A short Service of Remembrance was then held, during which Her Royal Highness laid a wreath. 

Whilst at the cemetery, The Princess Royal met Singaporean and British Veterans and viewed the graves of those who lost their lives during the sinking of HMS REPULSE and HMS PRINCE OF WALES. 

Here, Sir Tim Laurence laid a wreath on the grave of his relative, Midshipman James Bremridge.

Later, Her Royal Highness and Sir Tim toured HMS SPEY and were shown how the Skyports Drone Services support maritime vessels with the delivery of packages by drone. 

Aboard the ship, The Princess Royal toured the Ward Room, Bridge and the Flight Deck, where Her Royal Highness presented awards and addressed the Ship’s Company. 

The Princess Royal and Sir Tim Laurence also visited the National Orchid Garden for an orchid naming ceremony. Her Royal Highness placed a plaque with the potted orchid, newly named ‘Dendrobium Anne’.

The Princess later had an audience with the President of the Republic of Singapore, His Excellency Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

Her Royal Highness and Sir Tim concluded the day by attending The King’s Birthday Party at the British High Commissioner’s Residence. 

Thursday 13th November: Singapore

The Princess Royal, accompanied by Sir Tim Laurence, marked 60 years of diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Singapore at the British High Commission Offices. Her Royal Highness made a short speech and unveiled a plaque to announce the renaming of the pavilion building to ‘The Princess Royal Pavilion’. 

The Princess and Sir Tim later had an audience with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, Mr. Lawrence Wong. 

Her Royal Highness also visited the Airbus Asia Training Centre, currently the largest Airbus flight crew training centre in the world. Here, The Princess and Sir Tim were shown A350 flight simulations. 

For the final visit of the day, Her Royal Highness visited the Rolls-Royce Seletar Campus, where she heard about the manufacturing facilities in Singapore. Established in 2012, the Campus is the company’s largest manufacturing facility in Asia. 

Whilst on site, The Princess Royal visited the Rolls-Royce's Regional Training Centre, the first of its kind in Asia, to hear about their work and view a variety of Rolls-Royce engines.