A sea of blue, red and white uniforms and Union Jack flags greeted Prince Charles on his arrival. After a hush of anticipation, young pupils erupted into cheers and clapping as he made his way into the St Paul's Street premises.

After chatting with schoolchildren and staff, the prince was guided into the main hall for a rousing rendition of Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, performed by Stamford School sixth formers dressed up as stars of the Hollywood film Blues Brothers.

Principal Stephen Roberts said it was a huge honour to be able to show off the school to the Prince of Wales. "There's been a lot of careful planning behind this and it's just wonderful to have him here," he said.

Prince Charles was later taken on a guided tour of the school, meeting various sports clubs and societies. Head boy John Murphy and head girl Chloe Barrowman introduced the prince to fellow pupils.

Eighteen-year-old John, of High Street, Little Bytham, said: "We had one dress rehearsal beforehand but I was really nervous.

"Prince Charles was great though, he put me at ease and was really interested in what we had to say. He wasn't overly serious either."

The tour continued into the school's chapel, with a hymn sung in front of the prince. He was then taken outside to meet school combined cadet force members.

Libby Lewin, 17, of Edmonds Drive, Ketton, is part of Stamford School's cadet force RAF section. She shook hands and spoke to the prince.

She said: "It was a nervous experience but he put me at ease. I'm glad I got to meet him. "