The Princess Royal has paid tribute to First World War soldiers who “gave their lives for peace they would never see” as she marked the reopening of the Menin Gate memorial.
Anne joined Princess Claire of Belgium in Ypres where the memorial, bearing the names of more than 54,000 soldiers whose bodies have not been found, has undergone extensive restoration work.
Speaking in her role as president of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), which helped fund the project, the princess said: “Today, we gather to mark the reopening of a remarkable monument which gives us the opportunity to renew our promise that we will remember them.
“The Menin Gate has long stood as more than stone and inscription. It is a threshold between past and present, silence and memory, sacrifice and gratitude.”
She added: “This restoration reminds us of the duty to remember those who gave their lives for peace they would never see.
“A duty to teach new generations that the cost of war is measured not only in history books, but in the poignant sadness of the Last Post each evening.”
Anne, who was joined by her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, concluded: “The Commonwealth War Graves Commission pledge to the families of the fallen that this memorial will continue to stand as a testament to the courage, sacrifice, and enduring peace for which they fought. This restoration is for you.
“We rededicate the Menin as a place for remembrance and unity.”
During her one-day visit to Ypres, the princess also opened the CWGC visitor centre and visited the grave of Queen Victoria’s grandson, Prince Maurice von Battenberg, who was killed fighting with the British Army in 1914 and was buried at Ypres Town Cemetery.
He served as an officer with the King’s Royal Rifle Corps and was fatally wounded in October 1914 when a shell burst next to him as he led his men across open ground, dying before reaching a field dressing room.
