The Duchess of Cornwall visited glove makers Dents in Warminster today, where she was given a tour of the factory before presenting long service awards totalling more than 1,000 years at the company.

Her Royal Highness was greeted at the factory, on Furnax Lane, by Lord Lieutenant Sarah Troughton and Warminster Mayor Andrew Davis before being shown around by chief executive Deborah Moore and Master of the Worshipful Company of Glovers, Ann Esslemont.

Her tour included the factory floor and observing how gloves were made, talking to employees and a visit to the museum where she held Sir Walter Raleigh’s gloves and looked at the Coronation Glove of Queen Elizabeth II amongst others.

HRH then handed out 25 long service awards which included 81-year-old John Cundick for 65 years service and black Labrador Ruby for 10 years.

After giving out the awards HRH said: “It’s lovely to be here today giving out these awards.

“This has been a very fascinating visit and it is wonderful to see that so many people have been working here for such a long time.”

Founded in 1777, Dents supplies gloves and accessories to leading shops and department stores across 27 countries and has achieved a reputation for craftsmanship and the quality of its products.

Ms Moore said: “HRH was amazed at what went into glove making as it is still the same way they were made 100 years ago.

“It was a very happy and successful visit and we are delighted that HRH was able to join us on this occasion.”