Organisers of this year’s 175th Royal Norfolk Show have hailed Princess Anne’s visit as “the icing on the cake”.

Tens of thousands of visitors from around the county packed into the Norfolk Showground with some being lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the Princess Royal.

Arriving in style in a black Range Rover, she was welcomed by a crowd that had gathered outside the Norfolk Beekeepers’ Association tent.

The princess met with the association to admire the entries of honey, the most the organisation had seen at the show in more than 15 years.

Her Royal Highness spoke with show stewards and individuals from nearby stalls, including Eoghan Cameron, chair of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC).

Mr Cameron said: “It was an absolute pleasure to speak with the Princess Royal.

“She is extremely knowledgeable, especially in our subject matter. She is a delight.”

The BASC presented her with gifts including a specially commissioned Platinum Jubilee silk scarf, a silk tie, and a couple of bird boxes.

As she made her way around the grounds visiting school children and animals, she was generous with both her time and shared many smiles with those she met.

This included Norwich School A-Level pupil, Rosanne Lui, 17, who caught the eye of the Princess with her unusual costume.

Dressed as a potato to promote the importance of food sustainability and farming, Miss Lui said: “She was very lovely and it was great to talk to her about this project.”

Flanked by security guards, who were dressed in light green and beige tweed to blend in with the masses, Princess Anne looked a picture of summer in her lightweight apricot jacket with floating tea dress in complementary navy.

It was the perfect ensemble for the show’s pleasant weather, which is expected to remain the same for the show’s second day on Thursday, June 30.

Her outfit was also noted by 93-year-old Margaret Seaman, of Great Yarmouth, who hit the headlines last year with her wool recreation of the Sandringham Estate.

Norfolk’s own ‘queen of knitting’ explained how it was the third time in less than a year she had met a member of the Royal Family.

She said: “I was lucky enough to meet Camillia and the Queen.

“Speaking to Princess Anne, she was very interested in my piece and we talked about it for quite a while. She said her favourite part was the stables.”

Finally, the Princess Royal was given the honour of unveiling a special plaque commemorating her visit during Her Majesty the Queen s Platinum Jubilee year and the 175th year of the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association (RNAA).

She unveiled the plaque – describing it as “very nice” - to a round of applause from onlookers, while the Brit-Award winning vocal group BLAKE performed God Save the Queen from the nearby Grand Ring.

She was also given a bouquet by Norfolk schoolgirl, 10-year-old Isla Parker, of Norwich, who is home educated. The youngster said she had been “really nervous” but was quickly put at ease by the “nice princess”.

Mark Nicholas, the chair of the RNAA, said it had been a successful first day that had seen expected visitor numbers of up to 90,000 firmly on track.

He added: “A total of 90,000 people visiting us across the two days is a realistic number. That’s enough to fill Carrow Road more than three times over and there’s more cheering here too.”

And it was a special visit from the Princess Royal that helped to infuse even more excitement into the event.

"For us, it was the icing on the cake,” Mr Nicholas added.

“A royal visit always lifts the show.”

For those who have not got their tickets yet, Mr Nicholas urged them to come to the event’s final day and said they would be “mad to miss it”.

There were some early hold ups on roads around the showground but they eased during the morning.

And early light drizzle was replaced with warm sunshine to give perfect show conditions.