HRH The Princess Royal has visited North Yorkshire to attend a celebratory afternoon tea honouring the vital work of unpaid carers across the local community.
Appearing in her role as President of Carers Trust, Princess Anne joined staff, volunteers, and clients at Carers Plus Yorkshire to mark the charity’s 30th anniversary year. The Princess Royal has been a dedicated advocate for unpaid carers for decades, having originally founded The Princess Royal Trust for Carers back in 1991, which later became Carers Trust.
Upon arrival, Her Royal Highness was formally presented by Sir Christopher Legard, Vice Lord-Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, to key local representatives, including Carers Plus Yorkshire Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth McPherson, Vice Chair of Trustees Dorn Pryce, North Yorkshire Council’s Corporate Director for Health and Adult Services Abigail Barron, and Member of Parliament for Scarborough and Whitby Alison Hume.
During the visit, Elizabeth McPherson updated The Princess Royal on the charity’s latest projects and its community-first approach, which sees support delivered directly into carers’ homes and local towns rather than from a central office. The pair discussed the ongoing challenges around accessing respite care, the complex needs of modern adult carers, and the unique hurdles facing young carers and Armed Forces families today.
Princess Anne then spent time in the main hall chatting directly with adult carers, young carers, staff, and volunteers to hear about the impact the charity makes on their daily lives.
To round off the afternoon, HRH graciously cut a special celebration cake, light-heartedly telling guests that she would only cut it on the condition that everyone made sure they ate a slice!
”It was a real honour to finally welcome HRH The Princess Royal to Carers Plus Yorkshire and introduce her to our staff, trustees, carers and volunteers,” said Elizabeth McPherson, CEO of Carers Plus Yorkshire. “Throughout the visit, HRH The Princess Royal was incredibly warm and engaging, taking an interest in our work and the people we support. It was a very special day for everyone at Carers Plus Yorkshire and one that we will remember for many years to come.”
