MINI angels and shepherds rose excitedly from their seats to greet a Royal guest at a special ceremony at York Minster.

The cathedral was packed with hundreds of school pupils when the Princess Royal arrived for the Pageant Of The Donkey - a celebration of the animal's role in the life of Jesus from Christmas to Palm Sunday and Easter Day.

The Royal arrived to the delight of onlookers who had gathered outside, with cameras poised, and the young congregation inside.

The princess, who wore a fern coat with a dark green velvet collar and red scarf, is patron of the Riding For The Disabled Association (RDA), which helped organise the event with the Gild of the Freeman of York.

Devina Cannon, of the RDA, said: "It is a tremendous occasion, quite special, with 800 schoolchildren here from schools across York and Yorkshire."

The Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, Lord Crathorne, greeted the princess, along with York's civic party, which included the Lord Mayor, Coun Janet Greenwood, and the Sheriff, Coun Gil Nimmo, and Minster officials, including the Dean, the Rev Keith Jones, and Chancellor, Canon Glyn Webster.

Bernard and Susan Barker, of Beverley, were on a day out in York when they spied four donkeys outside the Minster and stopped to find out more.

The animals - Ben, Maud, John Barleycorn and Rumplestiltskin - had travelled from Melbourne, Bradford and North Lincolnshire to play their part in the service.

"I thought it must be something special when I saw them," said Bernard. Self-confessed royalist Susan was delighted to learn of Princess Anne's visit. "I love the tradition of it. The Royal Family represent the country and are lovely people. A lot of countries would like to have their own royalty. I support them and it is great to see them."

Sandra Winfield, of Wheldrake, also stood outside to catch a glimpse of the VIP.

Her neighbour, Kate Robinson, said: "Sandra told me about it so I thought I would come down as well to have a look.

"I have never seen anyone Royal before so I am quite excited."

A collection during the service was in aid of the York Minster Development Campaign and the RDA.

Later, the Princess Royal officially opened the new exhibition, Constantine The Great - York's Roman Emperor at the Yorkshire Museum.

A handful of royal enthusiasts watched as she arrived at the museum by Range Rover to join a host of other VIPs and guests.

The princess spoke with exhibition curator Elizabeth Hartley about the planning and design of the exhibition, and learned about the children's activities supporting it.

Ms Hartley said: "To have someone such as the Princess Royal open our exhibition is a real delight for all the people involved and York as a whole.

"We hoped she enjoyed her time here at the museum seeing the wonderful collection of Roman artefacts we have brought together from all over Europe."

Modern-day Rome was represented at the opening by Giovanni Brauzzi, minister of the Italian Embassy.

Updated: 09:58 Friday, March 31, 2006