THE immaculately dressed Duchess of Gloucester brought a touch of royal glamour to Kidderminster Hospital when she officially opened the state-of-the-art treatment centre and described it as an "excellent new centre".

Shortly before unveiling a plaque, the duchess, who is married to the Queen's cousin, said she had been "vastly impressed" with what had been achieved - not only in the renovation of the building but also with the human aspect of the facility.

She added: "I've spoken with a number of patients who seem to be absolutely delighted with the treatment they are able to receive here and it's been a great pleasure to meet so many members of staff."

The visit of the duchess, who was wearing a camel-coloured coat with a gold brooch and clutching a bouquet of white roses presented to her by seven-year-old Abigail Holden, brought back special memories for one member of staff in particular.

This was Marie Lloyd, who was working as a student nurse when the duchess opened the hospital's endoscopy unit in 1984.

The 60-year-old, who is now a staff nurse in the outpatients' unit, described the duchess as a "lovely lady", who, she said, was very easy to talk to.

"I thought she looked fantastic and more modern than she was 21 years ago," she said.

"I didn't think she'd changed that much at all. She didn't look her age at all and was very well groomed."

During her tour of the Minor Injuries Unit, outpatients' facility and out-of-hours service, the duchess also spoke to 85-year-old outpatient, Robert Circus, a retired clergyman in Wolverley and Cookley, who described her as "gracious and kind".

He added: "She said what did I think of the new building so I said 'well the old building used to be full of beds and the new one is very posh'."