THE Duke of York met sporting legends and defence boffins when he visited Malvern yesterday.

Prince Andrew toured leading defence and technology company QinetiQ before opening the multi-million pound sports complex at Malvern College.

As the UK’s special representative for international trade and investment, the Duke of York travels the world promoting British businesses.

He spent just over an hour touring QinetiQ.

After talking with company chairman Sir John Chisholm about the development of technology for the Ministry of Defence, he spoke to engineers who had developed some of Britain’s foremost technology.

He met Abi Peach who worked on the Blue Force Tracking system, a beacon that uses satelites to locate people anywhere in the world within a few metres. It’s been used by the armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

She said: “He seemed really interested and wanted to know how the beacon fitted on to vehicles and how it actually benefits our troops.”

The beacon was used by QinetiQ to track television presenter Ben Fogle and Olympic rower James Cracknell when they journeyed to the South Pole earlier this year.

The Duke joked that he would like one to track his daughters – Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.

Other inventions on show included the Tarsier radar, which is used at airports to detect objects on the runway. It was developed after a strip of metal resulted in the Concorde crash and can detect objects as small as a cotton reel in complete darkness.

The Duke declined a chance to test out QinetiQ’s Talon Robot, used in Afghanistan to defuse roadside bombs, saying that he had already “operated them in the field”.

He then joined Dame Kelly Holmes, former England cricket captains Michael Vaughan and Graham Gooch, rugby’s Jason Leonard and footballing legend Peter Shilton at Malvern College.

The Prince toured the school’s new boarding houses before looking around the state-of-the-art sports facility, which consists of a unique cricket centre, a climbing wall, 25 metre pool, shooting range and glass-backed squash courts.

After unveiling a plaque, he said: “My message to the students of this school is this; you should grasp the opportunities before you with every hand you have because the activities, the education and environment you are in is second to none when it comes to expanding your mind, body and spirit.”

Seventeen-year-old Henry Bridge, senior chapel prefect at the school, met the Duke.

He said: “He asked me about the school in general, about the history of the school and about the new facility. Everyone’s been really excited about it and it’s been great.”

Former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan was on hand to officially open the indoor cricket facility – and bat a few balls with Malvern College pupils.

He said: “You boys and girls are very lucky to have a sports hall like this.

“I know that Worcestershire County Cricket Club are looking forward to using the hall in winter and raising the next generation of great cricketers.

“I hate to say it but they need a few at the moment.

“I only retired three months ago and I haven’t thought much about the cricket since, but I see these fantastic facilities and I pick up one of these bats, and I’m thinking that I wouldn’t mind a little game.”

Hundreds of schoolchildren waved the Prince goodbye as he left in his helicopter.

Head of Malvern College Anthony Clark said: “We are honoured to welcome HRH the Duke of York and these outstanding sporting personalities to Malvern College.

“To have a double Olympic gold medallist, two former captains of the England cricket team and record cap holders for England rugby and football here with us to open our wonderful new facilities is a tremendous privilege.

“They are an inspiration to us all and proof of where talent, drive and dedication can take you.

“We hope to encourage our pupils to excel and to use their talents and enjoy the benefits of sport, whatever their abilities.”