Princess Anne spent more than an hour Saturday touring God香蕉视频直播檚 Acre veteran香蕉视频直播檚 cemetery and its tiny, wooden chapel, laying a wreath to honour the more than 2,500 military personnel and family members buried there.
The visit to the secluded, tree-covered Esquimalt, B.C., cemetery is part of the princess香蕉视频直播檚 three-day West Coast visit, which started Friday in North Vancouver with her participation in the commissioning of the first Arctic patrol vessel for Canada香蕉视频直播檚 Pacific fleet, HMCS Max Bernays.
God香蕉视频直播檚 Acre is a national historic site that dates back to 1868.
Princess Anne香蕉视频直播檚 tour will also see her attend a commemorative service on Sunday for the Battle of the Atlantic at the B.C. legislature.
She is also scheduled to visit the Royal Victoria Yacht Club Sunday and members of the Victoria Therapeutic Riding Association later in the day.
The tour of the cemetery grounds by Princess Anne, the sister of King Charles, carries great significance, said David Loveridge, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission director for Canada, Americas and the Pacific.
The princess is the current president of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, overseeing its mandate to care for 23,000 war memorials and war cemeteries around the world commemorating 1.7 million Commonwealth casualties, he said.
香蕉视频直播淭o have her here in Canada and to come to God香蕉视频直播檚 Acre veterans香蕉视频直播� cemetery to lay a wreath is a great event for us to commemorate the veterans who are here,香蕉视频直播� said Loveridge.
Princess Anne was on board HMCS Max Bernays early Saturday when it entered the fleet香蕉视频直播檚 home base in Esquimalt Harbour to the greeting of a 21-gun salute.
She wore a Canadian navy uniform Saturday, including a Canadian Fleet Pacific hat.
Navy enthusiasts and royal watchers gathered on the shores of Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse to greet the ship and the princess.
香蕉视频直播淪he香蕉视频直播檚 commodore of the navy, an honourary commodore, and she did the commission ceremony and spent the night on the boat after it left Vancouver,香蕉视频直播� said Iain MacAulay. 香蕉视频直播淪o, yes, cool.香蕉视频直播�
Murray Baines said he wanted to get a look at the HMCS Max Bernays and catch a glimpse of the princess.
香蕉视频直播淚 saw somebody out there waving,香蕉视频直播� said Baines. 香蕉视频直播淚 even had my little binoculars, but I couldn香蕉视频直播檛 make out who it was.香蕉视频直播�
The Department of National Defence said in a statement Friday the official introduction of HMCS Max Bernays into the fleet included 香蕉视频直播渁 symbolic presentation of the keys to the ship香蕉视频直播� to the commanding officer, Commander Collin Forsberg, 香蕉视频直播渁long with the breaking of the ship香蕉视频直播檚 commissioning pennant, and three cheers by the ship香蕉视频直播檚 company.香蕉视频直播�
Forsberg told reporters ahead of the ceremony that the patrol vessel arrived in its new home port in Esquimalt last month. He said the ship was 香蕉视频直播渄esigned for, principally, exercising Canadian sovereignty in northern waters.香蕉视频直播�
He said the introduction of the ship, which was named after a Canadian naval hero in the Second World War, will allow the navy to better meet future defence challenges in the North.
READ ALSO:
Dirk Meissner, The Canadian Press