Princess Anne to Visit Falklands as Argentina Opens Sea Lion Case at Sea Tribunal

Princess Anne, sister of Britain's King Charles III, will begin a visit to the Falkland Islands and South Georgia on Monday, November 9, 2026. The trip, announced by Buckingham Palace, will run until November 20 and includes official engagements and meetings with local community representatives. She will be accompanied by her husband, Vice Admiral Tim Laurence, in her role as patron of the South Georgia Heritage Trust.

During her time in the Falklands, Princess Anne will meet community members and visit Cape Pembroke Lighthouse, Tussac House, and the newly opened National Sports Complex. She will also attend a reception at Government House in Stanley, the archipelago's main town, and take part in activities linked to the British military presence on the islands. This will be her second visit to the Falklands in recent years, following a trip in 2022.

“It will be the first time the country litigates against the United Kingdom before an international tribunal over a controversy linked to sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.”

In South Georgia, she will meet officials from the British Antarctic Survey and representatives of the territorial government. She will also pay tribute to explorer Ernest Shackleton, who sailed about 1,500 kilometers in a lifeboat in 1916 to seek help for his crew trapped by Antarctic ice.

The visit coincides with hearings at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg, Germany, over Argentina's claim against the Sea Lion oil project. Argentina began its legal defense on Tuesday, November 10, seeking provisional measures to stop the project operated by Navitas Petroleum and Rockhopper Exploration in the North Falklands Basin.

The Argentine delegation is led by María Ibarzabal Murphy, Legal and Technical Secretary of the Presidency, and includes Ambassador Mario Oyarzábal as agent, along with legal and economic officials and three international specialists. Argentina will speak on Tuesday from 10:00 to 13:00, followed by Britain from 15:00 to 18:00, with a second round of replies on Wednesday morning and evening.

Argentina's request is part of the arbitration it launched against the British oil exploitation plan.