A schoolgirl, dubbed the 'Scouse history Queen' has met The Princess Royal in Liverpool.
Diana Shaw, nine, went to Western Approaches with her nan, Denise, 56, on Friday, May 26, after being invited by the museum's boss to come in and meet The Princess Royal. Princess Anne was in Liverpool for the unveiling of a new national memorial and Garden of Reflection for the Battle of the Atlantic at Our Lady and St Nicholas’s Church near the Pier Head.
She is a patron of the Battle of the Atlantic Memorial Charity. Following the unveiling ceremony, which saw dozens of Royal Navy recruits and Battle of the Atlantic Veterans gather, Princess Anne visited the Western Approaches Museum on Rumford Street.
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Diana admitted she did not know who Princess Anne was when she was asked to meet her by the museum bosses, but her mum, Megan Smith, said after watching the coronation she was "very excited" to meet her.
Megan, 32, told The ECHO: "It was about one or two months ago the bosses of the museum emailed asking if she [Diana] was available to go and see Princess Anne and share some of her knowledge and expertise about it with her. She has been really close with them [Western Approaches] after her step-dad took her first, she's been to other museums but this one is really special for Diana.
"Last year she went and it wasn't a busy day and the boss of the six museums was talking to her and was very impressed. He tweeted out about her and called her the 'scouse history queen'."
Diana, from Prenton, was able to speak to Princess Anne for around five minutes and the nine-year-old said she was "smiley" and "more normal than I expected".
She said: "I felt a little bit nervous but after going in I felt really proud. She was more normal than I expected and very smiley. Her eyes lit up when I gave her, her badge [A Western Approaches Tactical Unit medal].
"I was talking about my favourite part of the museum which is Percy Noble's admiral's chair, I have had the privilege of sitting in the chair myself. I have got to be honest, I didn't know who Princess Anne was [when she was asked to meet her two months ago]. I found out about her when I watched the coronation and I was very excited. I felt honoured, I loved it."
Diana went home with a book, Jonathan Dimbleby's The Battle of the Atlantic, which her mum said as an "avid bookworm" she was "delighted" to have as a memento of the day.
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