North Yorkshire played host to a right royal double today with visits by both the Prince of Wales and his sister, the Princess Royal.

Royal date: Princess Anne arrives at York University today to be greeted by the civic party before entering the Central Hall for a conference. Picture: Steven Bradshaw

Prince Charles was at Castle Howard to help mark the stately home's 300th anniversary by planting a tree in its 127-acre arboretum, a collection of rare trees and plants.

As patron of the Castle Howard Arboretum Trust since last year, Prince Charles will be keen to see the progress in its collections, which are used for scientific research, conservation, education and public enjoyment.

John Simmons, honorary curator at Castle Howard, said the Prince's visit was a significant honour for the arboretum. "The Prince became our patron because he was impressed with the range of our collection," he said.

Meanwhile, Princess Anne was in York today as patron of the Royal College of Paediatrics for its child health conference.

She was addressing 1,000 paediatricians from across the country after listening to talks from child health experts.

Dr Harvey Marcovitch, of the Royal College, said: "We don't know what she'll be talking about because she is experienced enough to talk off the cuff.

"Last year she spoke about helping sick children in war and famine zones. Ironically that would be very relevant now, with the situation in Kosovo."

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