A Duke made a whistle-stop tour of South Devon Railway on Thursday last week – and met a King at the same time...

After visiting the Buckfastleigh workshop, the Duke of Kent took a trip to Staverton on the footplate of a steam locomotive, under the guidance of veteran driver Dave Knowling – believed to be the longest-serving steam engineman in the country, with 61 continuous years' service.

The duke inspected the railway's extensive engineering works and officially opened its new £200,000 workshop extension – the reason for his visit – before boarding the train.