16-05-2025
Royal welcome as Princess Anne meets schoolchildren and veterans on surprise visit to Derry
She met young people in the Fountain estate before speaking with war veterans in Ebrington, which has been transformed from an Army barracks into an asset for the city.
Children from Fountain Primary and Nursery schools lined the streets waving Union flags to welcome the Princess Royal for her first engagement of the day.
Princess Anne presented with flowers on visit to Londonderry
Opened in 1972, the Cathedral Youth Club was awarded The King's Award for Voluntary Service in 2024.
The youth club has been providing community activities and initiatives for over 50 years, including programmes for older people, such as art classes, patchwork classes and Irish history classes.
Making her way to the other side of the River Foyle, Anne greeted veterans in front of the International Sailor Statue at Ebrington Square.
Speaking to this newspaper, Jack Garfield and Frank Brown from the Royal Naval Association outlined the significance of the statue.
They said it was a replica of a statue from Halifax in Canada and made by the same sculptor.
'The sailor is carrying his hammock,' Mr Garfield explained. 'That's how you went from ship to ship, carrying your hammock and your kit bag – that was your whole worldly possessions.
'He's called the International Sailor because, during the Second World War, we had American allies and Canadian and Portuguese and other places.
'It is to let the public know what it was all about and it will be there when we're gone.'
During the war, Derry and the River Foyle were of immense strategic importance and played a major role in the Battle of the North Atlantic.
The North Atlantic became the crucial supply line for food and munitions to Britain during that period and, in recognition of Derry's vital role for the Allies, it was decided that the River Foyle should be the location of the formal U-Boat surrender.
A series of commemorative events to mark the 80th anniversary are taking place in the area from May 15-18.
Mr Garfield and Mr Brown said they mark the occasion every year because the U-boats intended to 'cripple Britain' and 'if they did it would've been the end of the war, and Hitler would've been here instead of the Princess Royal'.
He said it was an 'extra special' anniversary and that other branches from Cork to Derry will be joining them over the coming days.
Princess Anne visits Ebrington site in Londonderry
The princess then met with a number of owners and employees from businesses in Ebrington.
That included James Huey who was first to open a business on the site called the Walled City Brewery.
He told Anne that it was 10 years to the day since he had opened and quipped that it was nice of her to travel over to 'celebrate our birthday with us', which drew a laugh.
With award-winning businesses moving into the site recently, Mr Huey said the visit is another sign that 'Ebrington has finally made it'.
On her way to Ebrington Hotel, the princess was presented with a bouquet of flowers by a young girl.
She attended a small reception at the hotel with guests including Royal Navy personnel, veterans and families, the Royal Naval Association, Canadian naval visitors and naval attaches.
Ebrington Hotel owner Cecil Doherty was delighted with the visit and said the venue was built to cater for such high-profile events.
He added that it's a 'great occasion for the entire Ebrington site' which is 'a symbol of peace and reconciliation'.
On her final engagement of the day, Anne visited the Clinical Translational Research & Innovation Centre (C-TRIC), a state-of-the-art facility and not-for-profit company based on the Altnagelvin Hospital site.
C-TRIC is a regional asset that facilitates collaboration between universities and life and health science companies with the NHS, enabling clinical research aimed at improving patient care in the community.
