It looked like Princess Anne thoroughly enjoyed a proper Northern day out on Wednesday (1 April), during a trip to South Tyneside in the North East of England. During the visit, she joked and dined with locals, sampling a 'chippy tea' at a family restaurant with a long history, and the location even had a link to the Princess Royal herself.
Princess Anne was on an official visit to the North East this week and, while there, dined at the newest location of a local restaurant, which began as a seaside shack 100 years ago. Colmans in South Shields welcomed Princess Anne with a classic plate of fish, chips and tartare sauce.
According to ITVX, the fish was caught in the North sea the day before, while the potatoes used to make the chips were grown in the local area. The news website revealed that Princess Anne joked with a group of local women while there who were waving at her, as she said, 'I hope you're all regulars!'
Princess Anne's visit also held an extra special connection to the Director of Colmans, Richard Colman Ord. Richard told the BBC that serving The Princess Royal felt like 'a full circle moment' because she had presented his dad, also named Richard, an MBE for services to hospitality and regeneration back in 2021.
'I think it's a real privilege for the family to welcome her and to showcase what we do,' he told ITVX. It also reported that a spokesperson for the restaurant confirmed The Princess Royal had 'enjoyed her meal and was particularly interested in the sustainability of the produce, such as where the fish was caught and the potatoes were grown.'
Colman's is a family-run business which now spans five generations and, over the years, it has served an impressive list of famous faces, from politicians to film directors. However, Princess Anne is the first member of the royal family to step over the threshold, marking the centenary celebrations as an extra special occasion. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair, director Sam Mendes and even Police frontman Sting have all sampled a 'chippy tea' at the location before Princess Anne.
On the day of Princess Anne's visit, the Royal Family shared details of an earlier and very different visit she had undertaken, to Salisbury Plain Training Area. As Colonel-in-Chief of The King’s Royal Hussars, The Princess Royal was there to watch training exercises involving tanks and drones, and spoke to soldiers about their four-week training programme.
