Grieving princess visits Galashiels care home

HRH The Princess Royal met with a number of Scottish Borders Council's care home and home care staff during her visit to Waverley Care Home in Galashiels. Photos: AndersonDrummond Photography.

The Princess Royal is president of the Carers Trust, and after meeting care home residents inside the care home, she also met a group of senior Galashiels Academy pupils and headteacher Kevin Ryalls outside, followed by a group of home care and care home staff.

Finally, she spent some time with a group of local veterans, led by Councillor John Greenwell, Scottish Borders Council’s Champion for the Armed Forces and Veterans.

Ahead of the visit, convener of the council, Watson McAteer, said: “It is always a great honour for the area to host members of the Royal Family and given the recent passing of Her Majesty The Queen this will be a particularly poignant event.”

From left: Martyna Guizel, Jamie Bell, Rory Wilson and Lewis Campbell were among a group of pupils from Galashiels Academy to meet HRH The Princess Royal.

Mr Greenwell said: “It was a great honour for us veterans to be asked to meet HRH Princess Anne the Princess Royal when she visited last Thursday.

“After what must have been a really heavy workload the previous few days she really lived up to her billing as the hardest working member of the Royal family.

“Both HRH and her husband, Vice Admiral Tim Laurence, took the time to speak to the veterans on parade and were extremely knowledgeable on the different regiments and corps, both old and new.

“I was personally pleased to meet her as she is my regiment’s Colonel in Chie f. She joked that I had better behave then.

“I speak on behalf of all those veterans present that it was a pleasure to meet HRH The Princess Royal in such a relaxed and friendly way.”