A royal helicopter landed on a playing field as the Duke of Kent visited the county's Hornby Hobbies factory.

The late Queen's cousin was invited to the Margate-based firm - which includes the brands Scalextric, Airfix and Corgi in its portfolio - as the company celebrates its 70th anniversary.

The distinctive claret chopper was spotted on Jackey Bakers sports ground in Ramsgate this afternoon before The Duke was whisked into a waiting vehicle.

Details of the 88-year-old’s trip are yet to be released but a Hornby Hobbies spokesman confirmed he visited the company's HQ on Westwood Industrial Estate.

In April, the firm said it ended the latest financial year in a “loss-making position” with both “net debt and inventory too high” but says it expects to see a “marked change in trajectory” during the next 12 months.

It said group sales were £56.2 million - up 2% on the year before.

But it blamed an 8% drop in sales in the fourth quarter on a combination of Easter falling early and delivery delays as a result of delays impacting container vessels in the Red Sea.

The company opened a new “immersive” tourist attraction at its HQ in December to celebrate its 70th anniversary.

One of the main attractions at the ‘WonderWorks’ site is a scaled-down Margate, with Arlington House, Dreamland and the beach all featured.