THE Duchess of Cornwall had a warm welcome when she arrived to officially open the new Hathaway Medical Centre this morning.

Pupils from Queen's Crescent School, Chippenham, waved St George's Flags as the Duchess arrived in a black Audi and dressed in an elegant dark green coat, with black velvet trim, brown suede shoes and pearls, Four-year-old twins Abigail and Elinor Harper, the daughters of Dr Richard Harper, then presented the Duchess with two posies.

She told the girls they looked very pretty in their dresses and gold cardigans and thanked them for the flowers.

The Duchess spent the rest of her visit chatting to staff and patients and members of the National Osteoporosis Society, of which she is president.

Patient Caroline Bowly, 94, who has been part of the clinical trials for Osteoporosis medication, at Hathaway Medical Centre, said she was delighted to meet the Duchess.

She was lovely and I was very surprised how down to earth she is, she said.

Angela Jordan, deputy chief executive of the Osteoporosis Society said she was grateful to the Duchess for her visit.

She is very personable and puts people at ease which is lovely. You can see them physically relax when she talks to them. She has done a great deal for the society, she said.

The charity is close to the Duchess's heart as both her mother and grandmother suffered from the disease.

After visiting the call centre she then unveiled the centre's official plaque.

Senior Partner Dr Tony Wright said: We are delighted the Duchess of Cornwall could come and open up the new centre. The new building is an asset to the NHS and the community of Chippenham.

The £4m centre, in Middlefield Road, Chippenham, is in addition to the practice's original surgery in New Road and is a state of the art building which offers a wide range of services for patients.

Don't miss this week's Chippenham News for more photos of the Duchess's visit.