RAF Association celebrates Princess Anne's special keepsakes and moving tribute

The RAF Association has shared Princess Anne's latest engagement in Northern Ireland.

Princess Anne honoured the service and sacrifice of wartime RAF personnel.

Posting her image from the visit on Instagram, the organisation praised Her Royal Highness's role in marking the 85th anniversary of the RAF Air Cadets while recognising the enduring legacy of those who served during the Second World War.

Princess Anne's visit took her to County Fermanagh, where she paid tribute to 86 RAF airmen buried at Commonwealth War Graves sites in Irvinestown. 

Joined by serving RAF personnel, Air Cadets and members of the local community, she reflected on the courage of those who lost their lives while serving from the historic flying boat bases on Lower Lough Erne.

The emotional moments came as cadets shared the stories behind several of the graves, including those of two unidentified airmen whose headstones bear the simple inscription, “Known Unto God.”

Following prayers at the cemetery, the sound of a lone piper echoed across the memorial.

She also visited Castle Archdale Museum, once home to a major RAF flying boat station. 

There, she met relatives of former Women's Auxiliary Air Force personnel and watched a flypast by a Poseidon aircraft from No. 201 Squadron.

Princess Anne was presented with a copy of Quare Days and Fair Days, a book celebrating Irvinestown's rich heritage, along with a jute shopping bag featuring the town clock and the slogan, "Irvinestown, Time Well Spent."