Kent has welcomed its first public visit from a member of the Royal family since the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

HRH the Duke of Gloucester visited Gravesend on Friday, to see examples of the physical and cultural regeneration taking place in Gravesham.

The Duke, who is a former architect and member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, went on a tour of the area, starting at a workshop at St George’s Arts Centre.

He then went to the area to the back of the centre, which is earmarked for the second phase of Gravesend’s regeneration project, St George’s Square.

Here he stopped to view the statue of Pocahontas and visited St George’s Church, before concluding his visit at St Andrew’s Gardens.

This is where he saw the statues of Squadron Leader Mohinder Singh Pujji and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, which is where people left floral tributes following the death of the Queen.

He also viewed work on The Charter, which is a development of 242 flats which will be available to rent when completed, and a new public multi-storey car park which is being developed by Rosherville, Gravesham council’s commercial trading company.

Cllr Peter Scollard, the Mayor of Gravesham, said: "It was an honour to welcome His Royal Highness to Gravesend, to guide him through our ambitious plans to regenerate the town centre, and to outline the benefits that will bring to the borough as a whole.

"I know he was impressed at the vision for the town and the gathering pace of delivery.

"He was also moved to see pictures of the hundreds floral tributes left at the statue to Her Majesty the Queen earlier this year."

After his visit to the town centre, the Duke travelled to Gravesend's Cyclopark, where he unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark its tenth anniversary this year.

Simon Jones, chief executive of the open air sports centre, said: "We were delighted to welcome His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester to Cyclopark.

"During his visit, I was thrilled to showcase the varied and inclusive facilities at Cyclopark and introduce him to some of the dedicated people who make it all happen, including our members, staff and volunteers, as well as our ambassador and Commonwealth Gold medal winner, JohnBoy Smith.

"It was fantastic to talk to His Royal Highness about our successes over the last decade, as well as our ambitious plans for the future."

Norman Blissett, chairman of Cyclopark's charitable trust board of trustees, said: "The Duke of Gloucester’s interest in our charitable work and efforts to make a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of people in our communities is invaluable."