Princess Anne Goes Barefoot and Sir Timothy Laurence Banishes Bad Luck with Coconut on Last Day in Sri Lanka

The Princess Royal and her husband made the first royal trip abroad of the new year

Princess Anne had a busy itinerary for the last day of her stay in Sri Lanka.

On Friday, the Princess Royal, 73, packed a slew of duties into her third and final day in Sri Lanka, which marked the first official international trip of 2024 by a British royal.

Princess Anne traveled to South Asia with her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, and stepped out solo to pay her first visit to a Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery as president on Friday. Anne took over the post from Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent in November 2023. Following a short service of remembrance, she laid a wreath at Jaawatte Cemetery to honor those who lost their lives in both World Wars.

“We will remember them,” read a handwritten card signed “Anne” on the poppy wreath, Hello! magazine reported.

Related: Princess Anne Carries Her Own Bags on Commercial Flight — Living Up to Her Hardest-Working Royal Title!

The Princess Royal and Sir Tim then moved to Vajira Pillayar Kovil, where they were welcomed by a dance group and presented with floral garlands, silk shawls and pottus. The couple went barefoot inside the Hindu temple as a gesture of respect, as members of the royal family are known to do when visiting Islamic mosques and Hindu temples.

Princess Anne and Sir Tim participated in a special pooja (blessing) from the Chief Priest before a tour and seemed to have some fun when they stepped back outside. Sir Tim smashed a coconut to banish bad luck — a fitting ritual for the fresh start of a new year — and he and Anne fed cattle, which are sacred in Hinduism.

Princess Anne then met with the British Council to learn more about how the group builds relationships between the U.K. and Sri Lanka through arts, culture and education, and toured The Arches of Awe exhibit. The display featuring photos of the 21 arches built in Colombo to welcome Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip when they visited Sri Lanka in 1951, inspired by the “thoronas” archways found across Asia with centuries of religious significance.

Related: Princess Anne Made Brother King Charles Laugh After His Coronation with This Nickname

Anne’s last stops included The Mission to Seafarers, of which she has served as president since 1984, the Hatch Works co-working space and a reception held by the British High Commissioner to mark 75 years of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and the U.K. The island country gained independence in 1948 and has been part of the Commonwealth ever since.

Princess Anne and Sir Tim also made engagements in Kandy and Jaffina in the royal trip, which began Wednesday. Living up to her title of the hardest-working member of the British royal family, the Princess Royal carried her own bags onto a commercial flight for the journey. 

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SriLankan Airlines posted photos of the royal couple’s arrival on X, writing, "A service fit for a royal! We are delighted to welcome onboard Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal on her journey from London to Colombo on a two-day official visit to mark the 75 years of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and the UK. It is truly an honour to extend Her Royal Highness and the delegation our inherent Sri Lankan warmth and hospitality, thereby presenting the first taste of our island home through our service. We thank the HRH for honouring us with her presence onboard and choosing us for the journey."

In December, The Telegraph reported that Anne attended the most royal engagements of any member of the royal family in 2023. According to the newspaper’s tally using the Court Circular, the royal family’s official record of previous engagements, the Princess Royal conducted a whopping 457 engagements — meaning that she keeps the crown of most industrious for the third year running.

“She just gets on with it, often carrying out multiple engagements in one day,” Queen Elizabeth’s former press spokesman Dickie Arbiter told the paper of Princess Anne’s tireless dedication.

“Of course, much of what the King does is behind the scenes, in meetings and going through his red boxes, which doesn’t warrant a mention in the Court Circular,” he added about her elder brother King Charles.

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