Princess Anne has been forced to alter her plans for her trip to New Zealand at the last minute after Cyclone Gabrielle battered the country in what has been called their biggest weather event for 100 years. The princess left London on Sunday evening with her husband Sir Timothy Laurence for a four-day visit, with adjustments now having to be made to their schedule.
Later today she had been due to visit the Linton Military Camp near the city of Palmerston North to visit the Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals, which is part of the New Zealand Army.
However due to the weather conditions, with the Army assisting in the relief effort, the New Zealand Defence Force said this would no longer take place.
A spokesperson told stuff.co.nz that instead Anne would be visiting the centre helping those affected by the cyclone.
He said: “Instead, Princess Anne will visit the National Crisis Management Centre at the Beehive [New Zealand Parliament] … to meet with staff from agencies involved in the Cyclone Gabrielle response.”
The Princess Royal had also planned to visit the country’s new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who took over after the resignation of Jacinda Ardern last month.
According to Radio New Zealand these plans may now have to change after the cyclone.
New Zealand’s North Island has been pummelled by the extreme weather, with the government declaring a state of emergency, only the third in the country’s history.
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Anne has already represented her older brother King Charles on a number of royal visits this year, beginning in early January when she travelled to Cyprus to meet with President Nicos Anastasiades and members of the military.
Then she went to Athens for the funeral of the former King Constantine of Greece, alongside other foreign royals and the Greek Crown Prince Pavlos.
At the end of last month Anne flew to Estonia as part of her role as Colonel-in-Chief of The King’s Royal Hussars.
The Hussars are currently on deployment in the Baltic state as part of NATO’s increased presence in the area.
