Anne has bags of style

PRINCESS ON TOUR

- Tony Jones

HARD-WORKING Princess Anne bagged a right royal welcome in Sri Lanka yesterday after carrying some of her own luggage off the plane.

She was surrounded by traditional dancers when she touched down in the country to kick off the Royal Family's first overseas tour of 2024.

The Princess Royal had a bag in each hand as well as a shoulder bag when she walked down the plane's steps with husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence at the start of a three-day visit to celebrate the UK's ties with the Commonwealth nation.

Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, gained its independence in 1948 after more than a century of British rule.

Anne is in the country at the request of the Foreign Office.

Andrew Patrick, British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, who was among the welcoming committee, said: "This visit is the best possible way to mark 75 years of diplomatic relations with Sri Lanka."