In pictures: Princess Anne sails in to £3m centre at Dudley Canal and Tunnel Trust
Princess Anne took a boat trip along a Black Country canal as she officially opened a £3 million visitor and heritage centre.
As the sun shone across Dudley it was the perfect day for The Princess Royal to visit Dudley Canal and Tunnel Trust.
During the visit, the VIP guest took time to speak to staff and volunteers, thanking them for helping to keep history alive.
Princess Anne arrived at the centre, called The Portal, situated just off the Birmingham New Road, in a blue Range Rover.
She was greeted by the Mayor and Mayoress of Dudley, Councillor Steve Waltho and his wife Jayne, before being introduced to management, including chief executive Nick Morris and several trustees.
Wearing a long green coat, she smiled and spoke to staff individually, taking the time to ask about their role in the new centre, which includes a purpose-built learning suite, function room and licensed restaurant called The Gongoozler.
The Princess Royal was escorted to the canal side where she took a 45-minute boat trip through the Lord Ward's Tunnel.
Although Princess Anne didn't pop on a hard hat for the boat trip, she happily spoke to chairman of the trust, Jeff Luesley about the design of the canal.
After she returned she took a few moments to meet excited children from Year 5 at Wren's Nest Primary School. Her final duty was to unveil a commemorative plaque in The Gongoozler. She said: "I would like to say a big thank you for the way in which you have kept history alive."
