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Princess Anne stepped out on Friday for one of the more symbolically significant engagements of the autumn season. The 76-year-old Princess Royal attended the Centenary Dedication of the Guards Memorial at Horse Guards Parade in London, marking exactly 100 years since the monument was first unveiled to the public on October 16, 1926.
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Princess Anne at the Household Cavalry’s centenary dedication.
In her capacity as Senior Colonel of the Foot Guards—a role she holds by appointment of King Charles, having succeeded Prince Philip—Princess Anne received a royal salute and honor guard at the ceremony, organized by the Household Cavalry. She unveiled the newly restored memorial, laid a wreath alongside the Major General and seven representatives from each of the seven Foot Guards regiments, and delivered an address to those assembled on parade.
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The Princess Royal places a wreath in front of the newly-resorted memorial.
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Anne speaks with John Barber, who served with the Irish Guards from 1944 to 1948.
Among those she spoke with during the ceremony were serving members of the Guards as well as Chelsea Pensioners, who are retired British Army veterans who live at the historic Royal Hospital Chelsea retirement and nursing home in West London.
The Guards Memorial was originally erected to honor Foot Guards who gave their lives during World War I. Its first dedication, in 1926, was presided over by Field Marshal the Duke of Connaught, who then held the role of Senior Colonel of the Foot Guards. The monument was later expanded to include the names of those who fell in World War II.
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The princess inspects members and horses of the Household Cavalry.
The engagement came shortly after updated polling placed Princess Anne at the top of YouGov’s rankings of the most popular members of the British royal family, with a positive opinion rating of 67%. Kate Middleton came second with 64%, followed by Prince William at 62% and King Charles at 53%.
Rachel King (she/her) is a news writer at Town & Country. Before joining T&C, she spent nearly a decade as an editor at Fortune. Her work covering travel and lifestyle has appeared in Forbes, Observer, Robb Report, Cruise Critic, and Cool Hunting, among others. Originally from San Francisco, she lives in New York with her wife, their daughter, and a precocious labradoodle. Follow her on Instagram at @rk.passport.