The Queen made a fuss of therapy dog Fenton as she visited a hospital’s new emergency department.
Dog-lover Camilla met the poodle during a tour of Great Western Hospital in Swindon, which has recently undergone a near-£35 million transformation.
She also spoke of the hospital’s good work in serving the Wiltshire community, saying her grandchildren had been there on several occasions.
The Queen was shown around the building by consultant Dr Liz Barneby and also spent time speaking with clinical staff and patients in the refurbished department.
She met four-year-old Jackson James, who was with his mother, Jade, and using the infant feeding room within the children’s emergency unit.
On arrival Camilla was introduced to Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust chairman Liam Coleman and chief executive Cara Charles-Barks.
Mr Coleman said: “I would like to thank Her Majesty for coming to Swindon to officially open our emergency and urgent care department.
“It is truly an honour to have you here.
“Thank you for making the time to come to our hospital and for spending so much time with our staff and patients. I know they really appreciate it.”
Towards the end of her visit, the Queen was joined by nine-year-old Latoyah Vashi, a pupil at the nearby Badbury Park Primary School, to unveil a plaque marking the official opening of the department.
Camilla said: “Before I go, I would just like to say a few words.
“I am so impressed by this A&E. I have had very good feedback because I have had friends who come here and grandchildren who have been here on several occasions.
“I quite often get pictures saying ‘Guess where I am? Back in the A&E in Swindon’, so I know it quite well.
“I was thinking about it, and I probably haven’t been inside this hospital for 47 years – since I had my daughter, so that was a few years ago.
“I really wanted to congratulate everybody who has done such a brilliant job with this place and everyone who is working here.
“I do know from first-hand experience the difference you are making to this part of the country. So, congratulations to you all.”
