Princess Anne gifted giant tortoise sculpture to mark 50 years of Jersey Zoo patronage

011122 Gabriella and HRH Princess Royal
Jersey artist Gabriella Street meeting HRH The Princess Royal Credit: Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust

Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal has been given a sculpture of a giant tortoise to mark her 50th anniversary as patron of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, the charity which runs Jersey Zoo.

The sculpture was selected from the Tortoise Takeover art trail, which is taking place in Jersey next summer.

Princess Anne hosted a reception to mark the occasion at St James' Palace on Wednesday 12 October.

A selection of artists recently submitted their tortoise designs to reflect The Princess’s commitment to the Trust for over half a decade.

The sculpture was selected from the Tortoise Takeover art trail Credit: Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust

The ten designs were displayed during the reception where HRH met the artists, donors and supporters of Durrell.

The design chosen by HRH titled “Sanctuary”, was submitted by Jersey artist Gabriella Street and was inspired by The Princess Royal herself.

Commenting on being chosen to create the giant tortoise sculpture for HRH, Gabriella said:

“It is such an honour to be chosen by The Princess Royal to design a tortoise inspired by her patronage to Durrell.

"The dedication and passion HRH has shown over the past 50 years is what sparked the inspiration behind my design.

"I feel very privileged to have this opportunity and am excited to start painting my tortoise.”

The design was submitted by Jersey artist Gabriella Street and was inspired by The Princess Royal herself Credit: Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust

The design includes colours that were exact swatches pulled from photographs of The Princess Royal’s past and present fashion, alongside flora and fauna specific to her many trips to Durrell projects and Jersey Zoo.

The design will be commissioned to join 50 giant tortoises on the trail in Jersey during July and August 2023.

Once the trail is over, the sculpture will be gifted to The Princess Royal as a token of Durrell’s appreciation for her commitment over the past 50 years.

Durrell’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Lesley Dickie, said: “It feels fitting that we celebrate the Princess Royal’s 50th anniversary of patronage, by commissioning a sculpture inspired by her work.

"Gabriella’s design beautifully captured HRH’s passion and dedication to conservation, whilst also playfully giving a nod to The Princess Royal herself.

"We are looking forward to seeing the finalised sculpture next year and know it will be a real highlight of the trail next summer.”

The tortoise sculpture from the Tortoise Takeover art trail, will take over Jersey on Saturday 1 July 2023 and will run until the end of August 2023.