FRANCESCA Fox and her Great Britain rhythmic gymnastics team received the royal seal of approval from HRH Princess Anne earlier this week as they were kitted out for the Olympic Games.

The 20-year-old, from Hilperton, and the five other members of her group were at Loughborough University on Wednesday to try on their Team GB gear for the first time.

Fox, who trains at the University of Bath with her self-funded team, says that experience ramped up the excitement, and the group’s thrilling day was topped off by the chance to rub shoulders with royalty.

“It was amazing to get to meet Princess Anne and we just talked about enjoying the whole experience of going to the Olympics – her advice was just to do that,” said Fox.

“Kitting out was so much fun. It was like going to a huge shopping mall and there were people running around everywhere getting different things for you.

“There was a tailor there for if you needed anything taking in and there was also a booth where you could just mess around and take as many photos as you liked. It really gets you thinking about how close the Olympics are.”

Captain Rachel Smith, Jade Faulkner, Louisa Pouli, Georgina Cassar and Lynne Hutchison make up the rest of the group, with Annie Bartlett as a non-travelling reserve, and the confirmation of their Olympic place closed the book on one of the most controversial episodes in Great Britain’s selection process for London 2012.

In March, the group won their appeal against British Gymnastics’ initial decision not to nominate a team for the host place at London 2012, after confusion over the deadline for their qualifying score at January’s London Prepares Test Event.

Fox’s group will become the first Great Britain rhythmic gymnastics group to compete at the Olympics.