The Princess Royal was forced to cancel a planned visit to a
North East hospital on Thursday after adverse weather conditions
prevented her helicopter from flying, Buckingham Palace has
said.
Princess Anne had been due to travel to Middlesbrough in her
capacity as Patron of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists.
She was scheduled to mark the 20th anniversary of South Tees
Occupational Therapy at James Cook University Hospital, part of
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “Due to adverse weather
conditions preventing the helicopter from flying The Princess Royal
has had to cancel the visit today.”
The cancellation came on the same day that Anne’s brother,
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was arrested on suspicion of misconduct
in public office. He has since been released under investigation
and has not been charged.
Thames Valley Police confirmed that searches at Wood Farm on the
Sandringham Estate in Norfolk have concluded, while inquiries at
Royal Lodge in Windsor are ongoing. The investigation relates to
allegations that sensitive information may have been shared with
the late financier Jeffrey Epstein during Andrew’s tenure as a UK
trade envoy. He has consistently denied wrongdoing.
Andrew, who was stripped of his honorary military titles and
royal patronages last year, has been living at Sandringham after
moving from Royal Lodge. Legal proceedings became active at the
point of his arrest, and any decision on whether charges will be
brought rests with the Crown Prosecution Service.
Despite Thursday’s weather-related cancellation, the Princess
Royal has maintained a typically busy programme in recent weeks.
Known as one of the hardest-working members of the Royal Family,
she has continued to undertake engagements across the country,
including a recent visit to a prison where she met staff and
offenders involved in rehabilitation and skills programmes.
Her scheduled visit to Middlesbrough was intended to highlight
the contribution of occupational therapists within the NHS and to
celebrate two decades of service at the South Tees unit.
Buckingham Palace has not indicated whether the hospital
engagement will be rescheduled.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source royalcentral.co.uk ’
