HRH The Princess Royal will visit Powys to celebrate the birthday of Europe's biggest ram sale.

Princess Anne will visit the Royal Welsh Showground as part of the 40th anniversary celebrations of the NSA Wales and Border Ram Sale.

Organisers say they are "delighted" to welcome Her Royal Highness to the sale on September 17.

Her Royal Highness' grandmother, the late Queen Mother, was an early supporter of the sale.

During the 1980s and 90s, the Queen Mother sent her North Country Cheviot rams to the sale from her Scottish Highlands home, Castle of Mey, on a regular basis.

The multi-breed ram sale was the brainchild of the late Verney Pugh OBE and masterminded by the late George Hughes MBE, who chaired the committee for 32 years.

Organisers say the sale, one of the largest of its kind, is a "huge economic driver" in Mid Wales and its emphasis on quality and veterinary inspection has helped to improve standards.

In July, Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall officially opened The Strand Hall in Builth Wells.