Additional reporting by Charlotte Phillips

The Princess Royal visited Kent today to open new homes for war veterans.

Her Royal Highness was in the county for the launch of the Royal British Legion Industries’ (RBLI) Centenary Village in Aylesford which includes 40 new homes for disadvantaged ex-service personnel.

Part of that is Greenwich House where 24 apartments have recently been completed in an assisted living scheme.

The £22m Centenary Village provides a range of homes, welfare support, and a community for the country’s most vulnerable veterans.

Queen Elizabeth II visited in 2019 to mark the RBLI’s 100th anniversary.

The national veterans’ charity helps former military personnel and their families by providing accommodation and support services for veterans who find themselves scarred either physically or mentally by their service

This year, KentOnline readers helped to raise money to complete the facilities at the new village.

Princess Anne visited veterans in their homes, including Greenwich House residents Rod and Veronica Eldridge.

Rod served in the Royal Engineers for 18 years.

Before moving to the RBLI Village, they had suffered 19 months of abuse from a neighbour that had caused Veronica’s weight to plummet to 6st 6lbs.

She said: “We were in a flat in Ashford and we managed to stay there putting up with abuse from a really bad neighbour for 19 months.

“I had a nervous breakdown and poor Rod had to put up with the noise, the blaring music, and me being ill.

“We couldn’t put up with being there any longer, it just made us both really ill.

“We were lucky because we were offered a one-bedroom flat at Queen Elizabeth Court and that was where we started off. We were very pleased to get the flat and slowly we’ve healed, with the love and support from RBLI, management, and the carers.”

The pair were offered their current flat in Greenwich Village once the building was finished, which Rod described as “really wonderful.”

“You couldn’t wish for anywhere better,” he explained.

“In Ashford we had quite a rough time but here it is wonderful, all the staff are really good, we’ve made a few friends – it’s really really good and the flat we’ve got is amazing.”

Just last month, Kent had another royal visit, this time from the Princess of Wales.

She went to Sittingbourne to see the work of a family hub that supports children with complex needs.