Princess Anne's fluent french captures attention at Somme Anniversary Ceremony

Princess Anne paid a moving tribute to the fallen as she led commemorations marking the 110th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's Thiepval Memorial in northern France.

The Princess Royal, who serves as President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) and was joined by the Duke of Gloucester and her husband, Sir Tim Laurence, for the solemn ceremony honouring the thousands of soldiers who lost their lives during one of the First World War's deadliest battles.

In one of the day's most poignant moments, Princess Anne laid a wreath at the Memorial alongside the Duke of Gloucester, paying tribute to the servicemen whose sacrifice continues to be remembered more than a century later.

The Princess delivered part of her address in French, acknowledging the shared history between Britain and France and honouring the generations whose lives were forever changed by the Battle of the Somme.

Held at the iconic Thiepval Memorial, which bears the names of more than 72,000 British and South African soldiers with no known grave, the service brought together military representatives, dignitaries and descendants of those who fought in the Somme campaign.

Princess Anne and the Duke of Gloucester lead solemn wreath-laying at Memorial