The reason why Princess Anne was missing from the state banquet

Princess Anne was among the notable absentees from Tuesday's state banquet. Her brother, King Charles III, had welcomed the South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, for a special evening at Buckingham Palace during his two-day state visit.

The Princess Royal and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence were in fact in the Falkland Islands for a six-day visit at the request of His Majesty's government.

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They carried out engagements at the HMS Sheffield Memorial on Sea Lion Island and the Sea Lion Island National Nature Reserve before a trip to the settlement at Bluff Cove.

There was a sweet moment when Anne planted a tree in Memorial Wood. Assisted by the Falkland's Cubs group, the tree was planted as part of The Queen's Green Canopy initiative.

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Then in the evening, the Princess Royal visited the Falkland Islands Defence Force Headquarters, Kiel Canal Road, Stanley.

© Photo: Getty Images

Princess Anne has been in the Falkland Islands

Meanwhile, the state visit was held in honour of Cyril Ramaphosa and featured many firsts for the royal family, with King Charles presiding over his first state banquet as monarch, and Prince William and Princess Kate attending for the first time in their new roles as the Prince and Princess of Wales.

At the state banquet, the King paid a touching tribute to the late Queen and her ties with South Africa as he hosted the nation’s president, saying she admired "its people, its vibrancy, natural beauty and diversity".

Charles spoke movingly and with humour about his mother’s long relationship with the Commonwealth nation during a banquet speech to mark South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's state visit to the UK.

The monarch also mentioned the sometimes troubled past relationship between the two nations that "provoke profound sorrow", but said, "we must acknowledge the wrongs which have shaped our past if we are to unlock the power of our common future".