The Princess Royal delivers poignant speech at reopening of iconic World War I memorial
Princess Anne carried out an important royal duty on behalf of King Charles on Monday, as she travelled to Belgium to mark the reopening of the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres—a site of profound historical and emotional significance.
Accompanied by her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Princess Royal attended the ceremony to commemorate the completion of a major restoration of the First World War memorial, which honours over 54,000 soldiers whose bodies were never recovered.
Speaking on behalf of the King, Princess Anne praised the collaborative efforts behind the memorial’s preservation. As Chair of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, she expressed deep gratitude to the city of Ypres, the Flanders region, and the people of Belgium for their longstanding support.
“We are also extremely grateful to the city of Ypres, to the region of Flanders and to the Kingdom of Belgium,” she said, “whose people have, for generations, embraced this memorial as part of their own heritage.”
Her speech reflected the solemn importance of the Menin Gate, describing it as “more than stone and inscription,” and “a threshold between past and present, silence and memory, sacrifice and gratitude.”
Princess Anne added, “For nearly a century, it has commemorated the names of the missing… Their bodies may lie in unmarked graves or lost battlefields, but their names, etched into this gate, have never faded from the memory of those who pass or stand beneath it.”
The Menin Gate, first unveiled in 1927, underwent significant restoration beginning in 2023, requiring the expertise of architects, conservationists, stonemasons, and horticulturalists. The completed project now ensures the memorial’s continued presence as a symbol of peace and remembrance.
Princess Claire of Belgium attended the event representing King Philippe, underlining the close ties between the two nations. Anne concluded her remarks with a tribute to those honoured: “This restoration is for you.”
