Television historian Dr David Starkey came face to face with King Henry VII when he went to Dover Castle to launch a new DVD and tourism campaign promoting the Cinque Ports region.

Dr Starkey, a Kent resident and passionate promoter of the county’s heritage, said the story of the Cinque Ports was a "remarkable piece of our history" which needed to be told.

He stressed the importance of communities recovering their pride in locality.

The DVD, narrated by Dr Starkey, is the centrepiece of the campaign which features a new visitor leaflet and website - www.visitcinqueports.co.uk.

In September the DVD will also be sent to primary schools across Kent and East Sussex to encourage more youngsters to learn the story of the Cinque Ports.

At the event Dr Starkey officially presented the DVD to the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, Admiral the Lord Boyce, while guests including Visit Kent chairman Amanda Cottrell and the 14 mayors of the Cinque Ports found themselves in the Royal presence of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.

Earlier in the day, Dr Starkey also joined the officers of naval fisheries vessel, HMS Severn at the Port of Dover to welcome the DVD into Kent waters from the crew of a traditional Hastings fishing boat.

Lord Boyce said: "The aim of the Cinque Ports Campaign is to help reinvigorate this remarkable area and to encourage visitors to venture further afield into the many towns of Kent and East Sussex which today still tell the vibrant story of our maritime history."