The Princess Royal in Afghanistan, 2 and 3 October 2006

The Princess Royal visited British troops and met the President of Afghanistan during a two-day visit to Kabul, accompanied by her husband, Rear Admiral Timothy Laurence.

Her Royal Highness met service personnel from each of the Armed Forces during her stay.

Following a visit to the headquarters of NATO's International Security and Assistance Force, the Princess met officers and soldiers at Camp Bastion, including members of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps which trains dogs to discover terrorist arms and explosives caches. She also met troops from the Royal Logistic Corps, of which she is Colonel-in-Chief.

The Princess Royal spoke to military leaders in Afghanistan, including the Afghan President, Hamid Karzai and Brigadier Ed Butler, the Commander of the UK Task Force there.

The Princess Royal in Afghanistan
	Her Royal Highness meets members of the Commando Logistic Regiment Royal Marines at Kandahar Airfield © Ministry of Defence

The Brigadier spoke of his pleasure at meeting the Princess, and of the importance of the Royal family highlighting the work carried out by British servicemen and women in Afghanistan:

 "It is always a great honour for us to receive a visit like this, and I am delighted the Princess Royal had the chance to see the troops in Afghanistan."

"I took the opportunity to make clear just how immensely proud I am of all the members of the task force.

"I have been hugely humbled by the raw courage and resilience of our soldiers, airmen and aviators. It is clear the Princess Royal was also deeply impressed."

Though the main purpose of the visit was to meet with her associated units and regiments in Afghanistan, The Princess Royal was also able to visit staff from another important organisation which she is involved with: Save the Children. The charity works to improve the lives of children around the world and Her Royal Highness has been its President since 1970. The Princess met Nicholas Highes, Deputy Programme Director, and Victoria Ghauri, National Manager for Education Programmes, to discuss their work in the area.

The Princess Royal in Afghanistan
	Her Royal Highness meets members of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps © Ministry of Defence

The visit ended with an All Ranks Working Dinner at the International Security Assistance Force Headquarters in Kabul before the Princess flew home.

The Princess Royal is the first member of the Royal family to have visited troops in Afghanistan. The Duke of York visited Afghanistan in 2005 in his role as Special Representative for UK Trade and Industry. The Duke of Kent, The Duke of Gloucester, The Duke of York and The Prince of Wales have all visited troops in Iraq in the past two years.