A CROWD of shoppers gathered in a town to catch a glimpse of a royal visitor.

Princess Anne arrived in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, to meet volunteer staff at the Save the Children charity shop, in the High Street.

She has been president of the charity for 39 years and visited the shop to meet with some of the 14 volunteers who work there.

She spent 35 minutes meeting staff and local dignitaries, chatting to them about their work with the charity.

Shop manager Myra Rudd said: “The princess often takes the time to come and visit individual shops if she is in the area, and it is great for our volunteers to meet her. We hope her visit will raise the profile of the charity and what we do here.”

Despite high temperatures, about 100 people lined the street to see the princess, and some were rewarded for their patience when she stopped to chat for a few minutes, before she visited Snainton, near Scarborough, to see a Riding for the Disabled group.

The princess will spend tomorrow visiting charities in Easingwold and York.