Princess Anne hosts Windsor Castle dinner to launch hospital ship project
Princess Anne has hosted a Windsor Castle dinner for a new hospital ship expected to bring free surgery to patients across Africa.
Princess Anne has hosted a Windsor Castle dinner for a new hospital ship expected to bring free surgery to patients across Africa.
The Princess Royal, 76, welcomed guests on Tuesday (27.10.26) to launch the Africa Mercy II Project for Mercy Ships International, according to the official Court Circular.
The charity is building a purpose-built floating hospital designed to help communities where specialist treatment is difficult to access.
Construction began in Guangzhou, China, last year, with the vessel expected to enter service in 2029.
The 174-metre ship will have six operating theatres, a laboratory and facilities for training local doctors and nurses.
Plans also include 98 acute-care beds, 86 beds for patients requiring less intensive support and seven intensive-care or isolation beds.
Once operational, it is expected to work alongside the Global Mercy, another purpose-built hospital ship run by the charity.
Mercy Ships provides free operations, including treatment for eye conditions, facial deformities and other illnesses that might otherwise go untreated.
Its volunteers also train healthcare workers so local hospitals can continue providing specialist care long after a ship leaves port.
The Princess Royal has supported the organisation for years and serves as its international patron.
She visited the Africa Mercy in Sierra Leone in 2011 and travelled to Rotterdam in 2022 to meet volunteers preparing to sail aboard the Global Mercy.
During that visit, Anne praised the medical teams for sharing knowledge with professionals in the countries they served.
She said helping doctors and dentists develop skills they could use at home was "a real legacy".
The Princess returned to the charity's work in 2023 when she attended its 45th anniversary dinner and helped launch a fund to support volunteers.
The initiative aimed to make it easier for medical professionals from developing countries to spend time working aboard the ships.
Africa Mercy II is being developed with backing from the MSC Foundation and MSC Group, which have supported Mercy Ships since 2011.
The foundation says the partnership has helped deliver more than 40,000 operations and provided training for nearly 20,000 healthcare professionals and community leaders.
Anne's latest engagement followed an investiture at Windsor Castle earlier on Tuesday, which she conducted on behalf of King Charles.
