A glamorous Duchess of Cornwall greeted onlookers as she arrived this morning to open a new £4 million medical centre in Chippenham.

Dressed in a pea green coat, accessorised with pearls, the wife of Prince Charles pulled up at the Hathaway Medical Centre in Middlefield Road at 10.30am for the official opening ceremony.

As she stepped out of her royal blue Audi she was greeted by the Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire and then presented with flowers from pupils of Queen's Crescent School and patients awaiting appointments.

The new development is set on the site of the former Allington Boys School, and it was business as usual for the staff and patients, despite the royal visitor.

Opon entering the building she met with a whole host of leading figures from the area including town Mayor Maureen Lloyd, MP James Gray, Chairman of North Wiltshire District Council Peter Davis, and senior partners of the centre.

The Duchess was then greeted by the twin daughters of doctor Richard Harper from the surgery, who gave her a bouquet.

Elinor and Abigail Harper, four, spoke briefly to the Duchess who complimented them on how smart they looked.

After making a tour of the waiting areas, the Duchess then made conversation with a group of mothers who had brought their babies into the centre for their four-month jabs.

Helen Callahan, from Chippenham, who was there with her baby son Finnbar said: "She was really nice, she asked me why I was here and I told her that we had come in to get jabs.

"I had read in the papers that she would be coming, but it was a nice surprise to actually speak to her."

The Duchess, who is president of the National Osteoporosis Society, was then whisked up to a waiting area were she was then able to sit and have tea and biscuits with patients with osteoporosis.

She met with Angela Jordan, the Deputy Chief Executive of the National Osteoporosis Group and talked with patients.

Jean Hastings, who recently celebrated her 90th birthday, was amongst those undergoing osteoporosis treatment.

She said: "The Duchess was a very nice woman. I told her she had looked stunning in her wedding dress and she thanked me.

"I spoke to her about osteoporosis as she knows so much about it too.

"I also met the Lord Lieutenant and he is a very interesting man. Infact my ninetieth is now turning out to be my best.

"Meeting all these people today has been wonderful."

After making a grand tour of the building, the Duchess and Senior Partner Tony Wright then gathered the small crowd of political visitors, patients, staff and press to unveil an official plaque.

The Duchess said: "It is wonderful to see something like this locally and I am very pleased to be here."

Chippenham Mayor Maureen Lloyd said about the visit: "I have met the Duchess before and she is a lovely woman.

"This building is great as they have really thought about the growing population of Chippenham and taken that into account when developing it."