Princess Anne to visit Palmerston North for military commemoration this month

The Princess Royal, Princess Anne inspects a guard of honour during a visit to the Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals and Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps at Burnham Military Camp on November 17, 2008 in Christchurch, New Zealand. Photo / Martin Hunter / Getty Images

It’s time to dust off those Union Jack flags, and get the fancy hats out of storage - a royal visitor is coming to Palmerston North next week.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced the royal visit last week, saying the Princess Royal, Princess Anne, is visiting New Zealand at the request of the NZ Army’s Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals.

“Princess Anne is travelling to Aotearoa at the request of the NZ Army’s Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals, of which she is Colonel in Chief, to attend its 100th-anniversary celebrations at Linton Military Camp in Palmerston North,” he said.

“It’s terrific that Her Royal Highness will be able to connect with past and present members of the Corps and acknowledge the importance of signallers within New Zealand Defence Force operations over the last 100 years. The Princess Royal last visited New Zealand in 2010. I look forward to welcoming Princess Anne back to Aotearoa.”

It will be her ninth visit to the country - her first visit was over 50 years ago in 1970, when she was 19. On that visit, she travelled with her mother, Queen Elizabeth II, her father Prince Philip and her brother, who was then the Prince of Wales and is now King Charles III. On this visit, Princess Anne will be accompanied by her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.

As well as visiting Linton Military Camp, the Princess Royal will visit Pukeahu National War Memorial in Wellington, where she will lay a wreath, and Christchurch, where she will rededicate the War Memorial at Cathedral Square.

Her visit to Linton Military Camp is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, February 15.