SEVERN Valley Railway will welcome HRH the Princess Royal to the popular attraction on Monday afternoon.

Princess Anne will be making her first ever visit to the Kidderminster tourist attraction on Monday, April 13, to help it celebrate its 50th anniversary.

The princess is due to arrive at the Bewdley station at 1.50pm, with her escort, the Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire, and travel on the train to Kidderminster, arriving at 2.20pm, where she will be given a behind the scenes tour of the carriage works.

During the visit she will be meeting some of SVR’s 1,200 volunteers, including four of the founding members, as well as the staff who keep the popular train line running and developing.

The princess will also be invited to unveil a plaque celebrating the 50 years of the Severn Valley Railway and sign the visitor’s book.

Nick Rallis, the SVR’s general manager, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be able to welcome HRH the Princess Royal to the Railway and to be given the opportunity to demonstrate how much the SVR has grown and developed during 50 years.

“We have had the privilege of meeting Her Royal Highness in the pass and she has revealed her enthusiasm for heritage steam, so we are very excited to be able to offer her the opportunity to travel along the line for the first time.”

On the morning of her visit to the county, Princess Anne will also officially open Worcestershire Royal Hospital’s new Oncology Centre and visit the Meadow Birth Centre.

Princess Anne will make a return visit to Worcestershire on Monday, April 20, when she will visit the ‘Voice for Young Carers’ Conference in Hartlebury and then to the village of Blackwell, near Bromsgrove, where as Patron of Lattitude Global Volunteering, she will visit Blackwell Adventure.