Queen Elizabeth II's Daughter Just Made a Surprise Visit to NYC

Princess Anne touched down in New York on Monday.

Princess Anne, the only daughter of the late Queen Elizabeth II, made a surprise visit to New York City this week — and made herself right at home by hopping aboard the Staten Island Ferry.

“We were pleased to welcome Her Royal Highness Princess Anne to the #StatenIslandFerry today,” the New York City Department of Transportation captioned a photo of Anne looking out the ferry’s windows on Twitter on Tuesday.

According to local media outlet The Staten Island Advance, the ride was part of a larger visit to the National Lighthouse Museum, where she was bestowed the title of “honorary chair for the National Lighthouse Museum’s Campaign for Illuminating Future Generations."

The goal of the campaign, the site added, is to raise funds for expansion, education, and preservation.

“I think lighthouses have been a particularly good way of educating people about the importance of maritime in all its formats,” the princess shared with the audience at a luncheon in Battery Park, the news outlet reported. “It’s not just about trade, but the impact of what we do to the sea, and how we can look after it better, and the way in which it affects our lives.”

As part of her visit, the museum also unveiled a miniature figurine of Needles Lighthouse from the Isle of Wight in memory of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

“[The princess’] visit could catalyze people to rally behind the funding for the museum because we have a great vision for the project,'' architect Paul Alter, of Skolnick Architecture and Design Partnership, shared with The Staten Island Advance. “I’m hoping that an international person of her stature rallies people, inspires people.”

Though thrilling, Anne isn’t the first royal to visit the borough. According to People, her late parents toured Staten Island during their trip to the city in 1957. The Queen, too, showed off her love of public transit, taking a ride on the North Shore rail line, which the The Staten Island Advance explained, also marked the very last time anyone rode the rail before it was decommissioned for good.

See more about the National Lighthouse Museum, and donate to its preservation efforts here.

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