HIS ROYAL Highness the Duke of Kent was in south Wiltshire for two special engagements.

Prince Edward joined staff at Wilton Carpets last Thursday and enjoyed a tour around the factory where he was able to see the super-fast loom that was installed two years ago.

The mayor of Wilton, Councillor Peter Edge, and Lord-Lieutenant Sarah Troughton were also in attendance.

He last visited Wilton Carpets in1995 when he met current chairman, Peter Le Count, who rescued the business.

The chairman of Wilton Carpets, Peter Le Count, said: “It’s always an honour to welcome royalty to our manufacturing facility, as it is recognition of the efforts made by our employees in designing and weaving the very finest quality carpets right here in Britain for customers all around the world. Moreover, we were delighted that the Duke showed a great deal of interest in how we weave premium carpets for the hospitality industry and he seemed highly impressed when we explained to him the technology behind our state-of-the-art looms.”

The Duke of Kent was also on hand to open the recently restored badge of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment which is carved into the chalk hillside above the village of Sutton Mandeville.

After unveiling a plaque, he met with members and volunteers from the Sutton Mandeville Heritage Trust, the charity which restored the badge, and representatives of the organisations who had assisted in the restoration.