Princess Anne set to join forces with rarely seen Duke of Gloucester for Battle of the Somme anniversary

Princess Anne set to join forces with rarely seen Duke of Gloucester for Battle of the Somme anniversary The Princess Royal will be joined by the Duke of Gloucester for a visit to France next week to commemorate the poignant 110-year anniversary of the Battle of the Somme Princess Anne is set to team up with a rarely-seen member of the Royal Family for a brief international trip next week. The Princess Royal will travel to France with the Duke of Gloucester to mark the 110-year anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. Anne is the President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and the Duke of Gloucester is the Honorary President of the Somme Association. The event on Wednesday July 1 will honour those who fought and died in one of the deadliest battles of the First World War. Anne and the Duke are not often seen carrying out engagements together, as the Duke - while regularly carrying out official royal work - prefers to maintain a low public profile. The Duke, also known as Prince Richard, was the late Queen’s cousin, with he and Anne sharing King George V as their grandfather. His father, Prince Henry, was the late Queen Elizabeth's uncle. At the time of his birth, Prince Richard was fifth in line to the throne. He was born on August 26 1944 in Northampton as the youngest son of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, and at the time of his birth. As part of his royal duties, the Duke has carried out royal visits to countries such as Malawi and the Solomon Islands. He also recently made a rare appearance with the rest of the Royal Family, taking to the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Trooping the Colour celebrations. During their rare joint visit at the Thiepval Memorial in north-east France, both senior royals will reveal UNESCO plaques as part of the anniversary events. The memorial site serves as a place of remembrance for British and South African troops who lost their lives between 1915 and March 1918 and whose final resting places remain unknown. The royals will additionally participate in a ceremony at Ulster Tower, which honours the men of the 36th (Ulster) Division who died during the Somme offensive, as well as Ulstermen who fought with other military formations. Following the joint service, the two royals will separate for individual engagements. Anne will head to the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial, erected on the site where the Newfoundland Regiment fought on 1st July 1916. Meanwhile, the Duke of Gloucester will take part in ceremonies at Guillemont Road Cemetery. This visit follows a decade after King Charles, then serving as Prince of Wales, joined fellow members of the Royal Family at the battle's centenary commemorations in France in 2016.