Princess Anne began her second day of royal engagements in Sri Lanka by visiting the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy.
The Princess Royal and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, are on a three-day tour of Sri Lanka at the request of the Foreign Office.
The royal couple visited the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic where they received a gift from the Acting Chief Custodian.
The temple, which is in the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, is the most significant Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka and houses the relic of the tooth of the Buddha.
Princess Anne offers jasmine flowers during a visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth.
PA
Anne wore an all-white outfit to visit the temple with a thin, patterned cardigan and white trousers. She broke up the block colour with a brown belt.
She also removed her shoes and wore white socks inside the temple as a gesture of respect.
The couple are now expected to travel to Jaffna, a city on the northern tip of Sri Lanka, to visit the Jaffna Public Library.
When the princess arrives, the Commissioner of Jaffna Municipal Council, and the Chief Librarian of Jaffna Public Library will present her with a garland of flowers and place a pottu in the middle of her forehead.
Princess Anne and Sir Tom received a gift from the Acting Chief Custodian.
PA
During the tour, the royals will hear how the Jaffna public library is a symbol of northern education and culture and meet members of Sri Lanka’s Tamil and northern communities.
For her final excursion of the day, the princess will visit The Halo Trust’s Muhamalai Demining and Resettlement Site in Muhamalai.
Here she will learn about the work of the UK-funded and international organisations in supporting the clearing of mines and the resettlement of people on cleared and safe lands.
The Halo Trust, Mines Advisory Group (MAG), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and International Organisation for Migration (IOM) will join Her Royal Highness at the site.
Princess Anne removed her shoes to enter the temple.
PA
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Members of the community who have been resettled on the land after the clearing of the mines will be introduced to the royals at the end of her visit.
This three-day tour of Sri Lanka is said to mark 75 years of diplomatic relations between the UK and Sri Lanka.
The UK and Sri Lanka have maintained a close relationship even after the country’s independence in 1948.
Andrew Patrick, British High Commissioner to Sri Lanker described the visit as “the best possible way to mark 75 years of diplomatic relations with Sri Lanka."
