HOW time flies. It did not seem 25 years ago that the Duke of Gloucester was doing the opening honours at a sheltered home for the elderly.

Then it was also a red letter day in royal history.

For the visit to Hampshire marked one of the very first Royal engagements by the then new Duke of Gloucester.

He took over the title just weeks before his official visit to Bishopstoke, near Eastleigh. Yesterday the Duke returned to the county, for a royal trip down memory lane.

He was back at the Hampshire Voluntary Housing Society's Meller House 25 years after he officially opened the building as part of its silver anniversary celebrations.

And it was big royal hello again to great grandmother, 86-year-old Mrs Beatrice Williams who met the Duke at the original opening and has lived there happily ever since.

Those 25 years were swiftly rolled back as the Duke stepped into the cosy communal lounge and was reunited with Beatrice.

After shaking hands they both lost no time in talking about that memorable occasion back in the early seventies.

Recalling that he then visited her flat, the Duke asked: "Is it still as tidy as it was then" Thrilled to come face to face again with the genial royal, Beatrice said: "He is a lovely man and very very friendly. It does not seem all those years ago that I first met him."

In that yesteryear ceremony the royal visitor, whose wife was then expecting a child, was presented with a teddy bear.

That royal baby grew up to become a solider and is now part of the peacekeeping force in the Balkans. Yesterday in an action replay of 25 years ago the Duke was again presented with a teddy bear. But this one will be winging its way to Kosovo.

Afterwards in an exclusive interview the Duke told the Daily Echo that he would be sending the bear to his son, Alexander, a 25-year-old lieutenant with the King's Royal Hussars.

"At the moment he is driving a tank in Kosovo," said the Duke.

And the royal teddy is likely to be found a home to lighten up the life of a youngster caught up in the horrific aftermath of the Balkans war.

Earlier the Royal guest cut a special 25th anniversary cake which was topped with a model of Meller House and unveiled a commemorative sundial.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.