IT was “a day to remember” for a Clydebank high school student as she met Princess Anne this week.

Rebecca Casey, a pupil at St Peter the Apostle High, presented The Princess Royal with a gift as she visited Glasgow on Wednesday, March 26.

Princess Anne had been attending an event in the city in her role as the Royal Patron of the iconic Clyde steamer TS Queen Mary.

The visit marked the end of the ship’s year-long 90th anniversary celebrations.

Rebecca, who is from Yoker, has helped out on board the ship, which was built in Dumbarton in 1933, with guided tours as a volunteer.

The 16-year-old presented Princess Anne with a plaque carved from the original teak deck which has since been replaced with a steel version to ensure modern-day seaworthiness.   

Clydebank Post: Her Royal Highness Princess Anne and Rebecca CaseyHer Royal Highness Princess Anne and Rebecca Casey (Image: Martin Shields)Reflecting on the experience she said: “Princess Anne was lovely. I was a little nervous but she was kind and friendly.

“It really was a day to remember.”

The TS Queen Mary is currently undergoing a multi-million-pound restoration in Govan.

She is expected to sail on the Clyde in years to come.

Princess Anne met with supporters, volunteers, and funders involved in the restoration work two years on from announcing that the ship, named after her great-grandmother Queen Mary, would sail again in March 2022.

Originally, the plan had been for the premier steamer ship to be permanently berthed at Pacific Quay at Glasgow Science Centre where she would have a heritage and maritime training focus.

It is understood that this remains part of the plan as well as sailing.

Her Royal Highness was told about the progress work had made.

Clydebank Post: The Princess Royal visited the city in her role as the ship's Royal PatronFundraising currently sits at more than £5 million which the charity Friends of TS Queen Mary – who are tasked with the restoration - say is half of the estimated cost of making her fit to return to the water.

Iain Sim, chairman of the Friends of TS Queen Mary said: “We are delighted to welcome back to Glasgow our Royal Patrol Princess Anne.

“Our ongoing endeavour to ensure the TS Queen Mary sails again on the Clyde continues to gather pace with some significant progress in the last year.

“We feel very privileged to have The Royal Princess as our Royal Patron – celebrating as it does the important link with the Royal Family which the ship is renowned for.”

The last time that TS Queen Mary cruised was in September 1977 and it is hoped that her return will provide a boost to Scotland’s tourism.