The Princess Royal touched down in Greece on Friday, embarking on a three-day tour marking 85 years since the Battle of Crete during World War Two.
Her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, accompanied her on the visit.
The couple’s first engagement saw them meet President Konstantinos Tasoulas at Athens’ Presidential Mansion, a building that once functioned as the Royal Palace.
During the audience, Princess Anne chose to wear her Gold Ribbon Brooch, a mid-20th-century piece fashioned as a loosely tied bow and adorned with 12 diamonds.
Princess Anne met the Greek President as she began her three-day tour
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The Crown Chronicles reports she first displayed this particular jewel in February 1969 when meeting Apollo 8 commander Colonel Frank Borman at Buckingham Palace.
The brooch has appeared frequently throughout her public engagements, most recently at Easter this April.
The Battle of Crete stands as one of the war’s most significant and brutal Allied engagements.
In May 1941, German forces launched what became one of history’s largest airborne assaults, deploying paratroopers to capture the strategically crucial island.
Troops from Britain, Greece, Australia and New Zealand mounted a fierce resistance lasting 11 days before ultimately being overrun.
The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence meet with Greek President Constantine Tassoulas at the Presidential Mansion
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The human cost proved devastating, with Allied losses exceeding 3,500 dead and nearly 12,000 soldiers taken prisoner.
Royal Navy ships succeeded in evacuating approximately 17,000 personnel to Egypt during the retreat.
However, around 5,000 Allied servicemen remained stranded on the island and were subsequently captured by German forces.
The memorial services Princess Anne will attend honour those who fell defending Crete during this pivotal campaign.
From Athens, the Princess Royal will journey to Crete for a series of commemorative events.
Greece holds particular significance for Princess Anne through her late father’s heritage
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Her itinerary includes a service at the Royal Air Force Memorial in Maleme village, paying tribute to squadron airmen killed during defensive operations in May 1941.
A remembrance ceremony at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery at Souda Bay will feature an aerial display by No. 30 Squadron, the RAF’s newest operational unit, alongside the Red Arrows aerobatics team.
A wreath-laying will follow the flypast. The visit will conclude with a reception at Chania’s Grand Arsenal, a 16th-century building where Princess Anne will meet descendants of those who fought in the battle.
She will also encounter British veterans who chose to make Crete their permanent home following the conflict.
Greece holds particular significance for Princess Anne through her late father’s heritage.
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was born on Corfu in June 1921, born to Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg.
The infant prince lived on the Greek island for just 18 months before political upheaval forced his family to flee.
King George V ordered a Royal Navy ship to rescue the family, with the young Philip transported aboard in an improvised cot constructed from an orange crate.
Before marrying the future Queen Elizabeth in 1947, Philip formally gave up his Greek and Danish royal titles.
The Princess Royal has visited Greece frequently, including attending King Constantine’s 1964 wedding at the Royal Palace and his funeral in Athens in 2023.