Princess Anne's rugby visit

Nov 18, 2009, 11:09 GMT

Britain's Princess Anne has officially opened a new stand at rugby club in Worcester.

The princess - a fan of the sport - opened the Worcester Warriors' multi-million pound east stand by unveiling a plaque in front of 100 guests, including a group of local schoolchildren.

Arriving be helicopter, Queen Elizabeth's daughter appeared in a purple tunic and plaid skirt and was greeted by club chairman Cecil Duckworth before opening the Slick Systems Stand.

She praised the work of the club in the community and was presented with a rugby ball signed by the Warriors first team following the ceremony.

Cecil said after meeting the royal yesterday (17.11.09): "She's been worth the wait.

"It has taken a little while to get her here because obviously the stand has been in use for some time.

"She's a wonderful lady and was most interested in the things we are doing here."

The opening was the latest in a series of sports-related events for Anne.

Last week, the princess called for action over abuse to horses.

She pledged her support to charity World Horse Welfare at their annual conference, saying: "Looking at the footage of the horses which are traveled long distances across Europe, I think many responsible owners cannot quite believe that such abuse takes place every day. 

"I am struck by the number of abattoirs these horses must pass on their journeys from Romania to Italy and the number of opportunities which could have been taken to end their suffering.

"But we are not squeaky clean in this country and I was also struck by the low number of abattoirs in the UK."