CROWDS turned out for a royal visit near Worcester today.
The Princess Royal made a quick stop in Norton on Tuesday morning to dedicate a statue created by the Norton Worcestershire Regiment Group.
Hundreds lined the streets of Crookbarrow Road to catch a glimpse of the royal.
Among them was veteran Athol Deakin, whom Princess Anne appeared to pick out of the crowds to have a chat with.
Mr Deakin, who has met Her Royal Highness before, said: “She didn’t remember me.
“Somehow, I’ve met loads of royals, I guess I’m one of these inspiring-type blokes that people just like to have a chat with.
“I’ve met all the royals, the queen walked past me once.”
LIVE BLOG: Princess Anne visits Worcester
Mr Deakin joined the Worcestershire Regiment in 1963 as a boy soldier before graduating in 1963 and going to Gibraltar.
In 1970, the regiment amalgamated Sherwood Foresters Regiment, which is when he first met Princess Anne.
He added: “Her Royal Highness was commander in chief at the time and she gave us the new colours.
“When I met her just now, I asked if she remembered when we amalgamated.
“She remembered it very well because it was a very cold windy day and it was a big occasion.
“She said it was a traumatic time when we amalgamated and we did a good job on the day because it was really bad, you woke up that morning and half the regiment had left.”
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Patron of the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regimental Association, Princess Anne visited Worcester to unveil a plaque by the side of the Sentry statue which was installed last year.
The bronze sculpture of a soldier, designed by John McKenna, serves as a tribute to Norton Barracks for its role in recruiting soldiers into the Worcestershire Regiment who then went on to fight in the two world wars.
Speaking before the unveiling, Dave James from the Norton Worcestershire Regiment Group said: “The Worcestershire’s were an ordinary infantry regiment, composed of men trained for the hardest of tasks. Men trained for battle. To fight toe to toe with the enemy and to drive him off.
“The purpose of this statue is to serve as a reminder of all those who have served at Norton barracks and guarded our freedom and to remind us of the countless thousands who passed through this place.
“The nearly 11,000 soldiers of the Worcestershire Regiment who fell defending freedom, the 20,000 who came home wounded, and those who came home safe but who bore unseen wounds.”
After unveiling the plaque, Princess Anne spoke with many of the veteran soldiers, serving soldiers from the Mercian Regiment, council leaders and members of parliament who were in attendance.
She then drove off in a dark blue Range Rover ahead of engagements in Gloucestershire.
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