Princess Anne has arrived in Greece for a three-day official visit to attend commemorations marking the 85th anniversary of the Battle of Crete.
Accompanied by her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Princess Royal landed at Athens International Airport on Thursday afternoon, where she was welcomed by Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni on behalf of the Greek government, along with British Ambassador Matthew Lodge.
According to Buckingham Palace, Princess Anne will remain in Greece from May 22 to 24, beginning her engagements in Athens before travelling to Crete for commemorative ceremonies honouring Allied and Greek forces who fought during one of the most fiercely contested campaigns of the Second World War.
As part of her official programme, President Constantine Tassoulas is scheduled to meet with the Princess Royal at the Presidential Mansion in Athens on Friday morning.
In her role as President of the Mission to Seafarers, Princess Anne will also attend engagements linked to the international maritime welfare organisation before travelling to Crete.
In Chania, she is expected to attend a memorial service at the RAF Memorial in Maleme, honouring members of the 30 and 33 Squadrons who lost their lives during the Battle of Crete in May 1941. She will also join international dignitaries at a Service of Remembrance at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery at Souda Bay.
Before concluding her visit, the Princess Royal is expected to meet local families and descendants of Cretan resistance fighters and Allied soldiers who fought side-by-side during the Nazi invasion.
The Battle of Crete began on May 20, 1941, when Nazi Germany launched Operation Mercury, the first large-scale airborne invasion in military history. Although Crete ultimately fell after nearly two weeks of fighting, Allied and Greek forces — supported by fierce resistance from the local Cretan population — inflicted devastating losses on German paratroopers, contributing to Hitler abandoning future major airborne invasions.
