From a motor neurone disease fundraiser in York to a carers’ anniversary in North Yorkshire and an awards event for women in STEM in London, the Princess Royal’s September 28 schedule showed the breadth of her work.

By Mimi Gill, Royally Inspired

Princess Anne began Monday at an athletics track in York and ended it at an event celebrating women in science and engineering in London. Between the two, she stopped in a North Yorkshire village to mark 30 years of support for unpaid carers.

It was a full day, even by the Princess Royal’s standards. More interesting than the distance she covered, though, were the people and causes she came to see.

A visit with Kevin Sinfield and the MND community

At the University of York Athletics Track, Anne met Sir Kevin Sinfield during his 7 in 7: The Grand Finale challenge. The former rugby league player is attempting seven ultramarathons in seven days in memory of his friend and former Leeds Rhinos teammate, Rob Burrow, who died of motor neurone disease in 2024.

Anne is Royal Patron of the Motor Neurone Disease Association. Sinfield’s running challenges have raised more than £11 million for six MND charities, according to the association. Its share has supported research, care and practical help for people living with the disease and their families.

The visit brought a familiar face to a demanding fundraiser, but the story at the track belongs to the MND community and the friends who have kept Burrow’s memory at its heart.

Thirty years of support for carers

Later, Anne traveled to Snainton, near Scarborough, to visit Carers Plus Yorkshire for its 30th anniversary. She attended as President of Carers Trust.

Carers Plus Yorkshire says it has supported unpaid carers and people facing loneliness or isolation across the region since 1995. That work can be easy to overlook. A great deal of care happens quietly, in homes and ordinary daily routines, with little public recognition for the people providing it.

Anne’s stop gave that work a moment in the royal diary.

Ending the day with women in STEM

Her final engagement took her to the WISE Annual Conference and Awards at the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s Savoy Place venue in London. Anne attended as the IET’s Honorary President.

WISE, Women into Science and Engineering, brings together people working to improve opportunities for women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Two of the evening’s awards carry the Princess Royal’s name: a rising star award and a lifetime achievement award.

The three engagements did not share a single theme or setting. Together, they offered a useful picture of Anne’s public role: showing up for people whose work deserves attention, from a running track to a village hall to an engineering awards ceremony.

Related reading: The British Royal Family: Who’s Who

Sources: Royal Diary and the September 28 Court Circular; Motor Neurone Disease Association; Carers Plus Yorkshire; WISE Awards 2026.