GREENOCK had an unexpected Royal visit at the weekend.
Her Royal Highness Princess Anne arrived unannounced in the town early on Saturday morning.
She was here to board a waiting vessel which had berthed at Custom House Quay.
Princess Anne is patron of the Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) and was here to board the NLV Pharos, a lighthouse tender which is operated by the board.
She spent some time at Custom House Quay before boarding and being welcomed onto the vessel by the crew.
It is understood that Princess Anne was visiting lighthouses in Scotland as part of her role with the organisation.
The visit was described as a 'private engagement'.
It's believed HRH stayed on board Pharos over the weekend and was due to disembark last night.
The fleeting visit to Greenock was kept very much under the radar.
It meant that the town had two royal visitors on the same day - with Cunard's mighty Queen Elizabeth arrving at the nearby Ocean Terminal on a scheduled cruise call.
Saturday's surprise appearance was not the first time Princess Anne has been to the district this year.
She was also in Inverclyde back in February, when she visited Wemyss Bay for the official opening of a new £800,000 production facility at Mearns T McCaskie the butcher's.
Pictures: Lesley Roberts
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here