Anne meets Ukrainian band at Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo rehearsal

The Princess Royal has met performers for this year’s Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, including members of a Ukrainian naval band playing for the first time since the full-scale war began.

Anne wore sunglasses and the Tattoo’s official tartan as she watched a rehearsal at Redford Barracks in the Scottish capital.

She watched international teams perform their displays of military drill, music and dancing ahead of the show’s run beginning at Edinburgh Castle later this week.

As well as military bands from the UK’s armed forces, this year’s show will feature performers from the US, Poland and Switzerland.

This year will see members of the Centre for Military Music of the Ukrainian Navy make their debut.

The Odessa-based orchestra are engaged in rehabilitation projects as well as a number of cultural programmes.

This year will also be the first time Alan Lane has stepped in as the Tattoo’s creative director.

A theatre director by trade, he is also a reservist with the Royal Engineers.

The theme for this year – the 75th for the Tattoo – will be “the heroes who made us” – with each night of the show’s run celebrating a significant figure.

Mr Lane told the PA news agency: “The team here are fantastic, they’ve been making shows for decades, so I’m very confident they’re a great team and they’ll do a great job.”

He added: “International acts have always been an important component of the show and this year’s no different.

“I’m absolutely delighted to welcome our brothers and sisters from Ukraine.

“Like all international acts, they’ve come to represent the best of their nation.

“We have some extraordinary Ukrainian military music and some Ukrainian cultural dancing as well so I think the audience are going to really enjoy that.”