ROYALTY is at a Hampshire coastguard hub this afternoon.
His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, was in Titchfield to open the new National Maritime Operations Centre.
In his role as Honorary Commodore of Her Majesty's Coastguard, the heir to the throne, arrived and met dignitaries and staff while the royal standard was raised to signal his arrival.
He met staff and unveiled a plaque after a private briefing with the chief coastguard.
Prince Charles told the staff in a speech: "I was hugely impressed to have seen a a little bit of this centre and to have heard something about the work that goes on here.
"As far as I can make out I have just interrupted training this afternoon which I apologise for but it's enormously impressive what you are able to do."
The flagship centre has been active since last September and is supported by 10 coastguard operations centres around the UK with centres in Falmouth, Holyhead, Milford Haven and Humber already part of the new network.
Aberdeen, Belfast, Dover, London Coastguard, Shetland and Stornoway are set to join by the end of this year.
Prince Charles with Rebecca Nichols
The new centre was designed to enable a much bigger and better national support network.
Forty-seven coastguards are based at the new centre with 14 having transferred across from Solent and Portland.
Once the new national network is complete by the end of 2015 that number will increase to 96.
Princes Charles' visit will also include meeting Second World War veterans in Hayling Island at a memorial dedicated to heroes from the Combined Operations Pilotage Parties (COPP).
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