Princess Anne becomes first royal to visit Little Sark on 80th anniversary of liberation of Channel Islands
Princess Anne today became the first royal to visit to the peninsula of Little Sark as the Channel Islands celebrated Liberation Day.
The Princess Royal, 74, was joined by her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence for the day – 80 years since the archipelago was freed from Nazi occupation in World War Two.
Anne travelled by horse and carriage to La Coupee, a narrow walkway that connects the main island of Sark to the peninsula of Little Sark.
She became the very first member of the Royal Family to visit the area.
The Princess Royal then walked down The Avenue while flags were raised at Sark Art Gallery.
She had the opportunity to speak to islanders who had been liberated from German occupation, and enjoyed a street party with Chelsea Pensioners and Gurkhas.
Christopher Beaumont, the Seigneur of Sark, said he was sure Anne would be ‘blown away by the beauty of the island’.
Her visit comes in the wake of a week of celebrations commemorating the 80th anniversary of the allied victory in Europe.
Princess Anne today became the first royal to visit to the peninsula of Little Sark as the Channel Islands celebrated Liberation Day
The Princess Royal, 74, was joined by her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence for the day – 80 years since the archipelago was freed from Nazi occupation in World War Two
The Channel Islands, in the English Channel, off the coast of France, were occupied by German forces between 1940 and 1945.
They were the only part of the British Isles under German control in World War Two.
On Friday, the Princess Royal visited another of the Channel Islands – Guernsey.
Anne, who was accompanied on the trip by her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, attended a parade at St Peter Port seafront and gave a reading during a service at Town Church.
Anne travelled by horse and carriage to La Coupee, a narrow walkway that connects the main island of Sark to the peninsula of Little Sark
She became the very first member of the Royal Family to visit the area
The Princess Royal then walked down The Avenue while flags were raised at Sark Art Gallery
The parish church holds the annual Liberation Day service which was attended by veterans, visiting German and French officials, emergency service representatives and members of the public.
Anne met school children during the visit and also viewed the Liberation Trail exhibition.
German forces formally signed a declaration of surrender on May 9 in Guernsey and the nearby island of Sark was liberated the following day.
Her visit comes in the wake of a week of celebrations commemorating the 80th anniversary of the allied victory in Europe
