Princess Anne to meet Olympic and Paralympic officials in Paris

The Princess Royal will embark on a two-day visit to Paris in October to meet senior representatives of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, it has been announced.

Princess Anne, who is a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), will hold meetings with officials working on the global sporting event which will take place in the French capital.

She is also the president of the British Olympic Association and has been affiliated with the games since she became the first British royal to compete in 1976.

Anne rode her mother’s horse Goodwill in the three-day equestrian event during the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

Her daughter, Zara Tindall, followed in her mother’s footsteps as a world-class horsewoman and competed in the London 2012 Olympics, winning the silver medal at a team event which was presented by Anne.

Ahead of the Tokyo Olympics that took place this summer, the princess sent a message of support to Team GB and said: “As your president, I would like to wish you every success for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

“Although I am sad not to be there in person, I and the whole nation will be cheering for you and proudly supporting you from home.”

Anne’s trip will take place from 3 -4 October, during which she will also meet those involved in the 2023 Rugby World Cup, also to be hosted in France, as a patron of the Scottish Rugby Union.

She will mark the 75th anniversary of Unesco by meeting with several of the recent laureates and prize winners of the Unesco-L’Oreal Women in Science Programme.

The programme recognises female researchers who are working to overcome global challenges.

The Princess Royal will be the first member of the royal family to carry out an official visit to Paris in more than five years. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were the last royals to visit the French capital in March 2017, when they attended the RBS Six Nations match between France and Wales.

Additional reporting by PA

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