HOSPICE staff had their very own brush with royalty when Princess Diana paid a visit to celebrate their newly opened premises.

The Princess of Wales paid a trip to Basildon in November 1990 to visit St Luke's Hospice's new headquarters at Fobbing Farm, off Nethermayne.

The first hospice patient had arrived only months earlier, with the princess making the visit to mark the opening of the site.

Families, children and people lined the streets with banners and badges with slogans such as I Love Basildon adorning them.

The princess met the adoring crowds, shook hands and took time to say hello to the people who spent hours waiting to catch a glimpse of her.

She smiled as she spoke to members of the public and her fans beamed with excitement as they met the much-loved princess.

Diana unveiled a commemorative plaque at the hospice to mark her visit, posing for photographs next to it.

An audience assembled inside St Luke's Hospice to see the princess unveil the plaque, with rows of invited guests sat smiling as they witnessed the special visit.