Tunbridge Wells welcomed royalty this afternoon when the Countess of Wessex attended Tunbridge Wells Hospital as part of a World War One centenary event.

Her visit marks exactly 100 years since the first casualties arrived in Tunbridge Wells from France and she unveiled a memorial stone dedicated to the work of the hospitals during the war.

She met members of the emergency services and armed forces who attended the moving ceremony.

The Countess was given a private tour of areas inside the hospital, including a gallery of World War One photograph.

She was introduced to members of the trauma team who showed her how the emergency department use lessons learnt from battlefield medical treatment.

She later joined the Belgian Embassy in presenting the hospital with a flag to mark the work done to support wounded Belgian soldiers and refugees in Tunbridge Wells during the war, to replace the one given 100 years ago.

Members of the A&E department also gave the Countess a tour around a specialist decontamination unit.