Possibly in her past life, Princess Anne was a real Recent Yorker.
The late Queen Elizabeth II’s only daughter made a surprise visit to the Big Apple this week, touching down at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Monday morning.
And while it’s not unusual for a member of the royal family to travel Stateside, the Princess Royal, 72, raised eyebrows by taking a ride on the infamous Staten Island Ferry.
On Tuesday, NYC’s Department of Transportation tweeted a photograph of Princess Anne aboard the ferry with DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez.
“We were pleased to welcome Her Royal Highness Princess Anne to the #StatenIslandFerry today,” the tweet read.
Around 70,000 passengers — lots of them 9-to-5 commuters — take the ferry every day, in line with its official website. The free journey typically takes 25 minutes to and from Manhattan and Staten Island.
The royal was later feted because the guest of honor at a gala dinner held by the English Speaking Union on the Cosmopolitan Club on the Upper East Side.
Princess Anne became President of the English-Speaking Union of the Commonwealth after the death of her mother on Sept. 8. She was 96.
The late Queen Elizabeth II had served as Patron of the English-Speaking Union of the Commonwealth since 1957, alongside her husband, the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
The nonprofit provides educational and cultural opportunities for college kids, educators, and members, in line with its website.
Anne’s trip to NYC also saw her visit the National Lighthouse Museum on Staten Island.
Princess Anne, like the opposite working senior members of the royal family, returned to her duties just two weeks after the state funeral of her mother.
