No sounding trumpets and drums, but a cheering crowd of Penryn schoolchildren heralded the arrival of the Duke of Gloucester to the town this afternoon.

The Queen's cousin drove into Penryn, currently celebrating its 800th anniversary, where he was welcomed by local children, dignitaries, and even a member of the public dressed as the Queen, to whom he asked "are you the Queen of Penryn?"

Prince Richard, 24th in line to the throne, a keen supporter of history and architecture causes, and the patron of the British Association of Friends of Museums, started his visit with a tour of Penryn Museum and the grade II* listed town hall, where he also stopped for a spot of lunch with the mayor. The two reportedly discussed the town's history and, according to mayor Mark Snowdon, talked a surprising amount about sport.

After lunch he met members of the Penryn Federation, who presented him with a knitted gift, before walking down to the library, taking in the architecture of the town's historic conservation area on Market Street and St Thomas Street.

At the library he met local children and awarded prizes for a summer reading competition, before unveiling a plaque and being presented with a selection of books by local historian and Saracen Award winner Ernie Warmington, who passed away last year.

Unveiling the plaque, the duke said: "This isn't the first One Stop Shop and former library I have visited, and it's good to see it being put to good use. I hope you have all the customers that you need to make it the success it deserves to be."

And Sol Guimaraes, winner of the competition, said she had been "excited" to meet the duke, and it was a "special moment."

Following his trip to the library, the royal visitor moved on to College Field, site of the former Glasney College, where he met representatives of Cornwall Council and spoke with local historian John Kirby.

He then unveiled a plaque, which is soon to be placed at the field, commemorating the town's founding and the college's founding by the Bishops of Exeter in the 13th century.

Following the duke's visit, Mr Snowdon said: "It's such a great honour to have the Duke of Gloucester come down to visit us today in our town, as we celebrate our 800th year.

"It's a very special day for the town, I shall remember it for a very long time."

He added: ""We spoke mainly about the history of the town, and we spoke, surprisingly, a lot about sport over lunch. He is a very fascinating man."