A memorial to the man credited with helping win the Battle of Britain was unveiled by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall today.

The £30,000 bronze bust of Sir Keith Park has been installed at the national Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel-le-Ferne, between Dover and Folkestone.

Sir Keith commanded the RAF’s 11 Group Fighter Command, the squadrons which bore the brunt of the conflict.

The Duchess is patron of the War Memorials Trust.

After the unveiling she met three Battle of Britain veterans including the oldest survivor, 97-year-old Spitfire pilot William Walker.

Mr Walker, who lives in London, said: “This is a most important day for me because I have lived long enough to see the bust for Sir Keith unveiled.

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“The Duchess said how small the Spitfire was and I told her you fitted the plane and became one when you were flying.”

Camilla viewed the Christopher Foxley-Norris memorial wall on which are inscribed the names of the 3,000 air crew who flew in operational units from July 10 to October 31, 1940.

She also attended a reception for members of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust and donors to the sculpture of Sir Keith where she met pupils and staff from Capel-le-Ferne Primary School.

Camilla then visited the Kent & Canterbury Hospital on Thursday as part of tour of the county.

As patron of the National Osteoporosis Society (NOS), the Duchess met patients and staff at the hospital's osteoporosis department, as well as members of the Kent branch of the NOS.

After flying in by helicopter and landing at the nearby Simon Langton Grammar School for Girls, the Duchess was taken on a tour of the hospital's small, but very active unit.