INMATES at Preston Prison were rubbing shoulders with royalty this week during a flying visit by the Princess Royal.

Prisoners and officers, along with local dignitaries, got the chance of a lifetime to welcome Princess Anne on her official visit as patron of the Butler Trust -- an organisation devoted to educating prisoners.

The Princess stopped off at the prison on her way to Lancaster and Blackpool.

While at the prison, which was officially declared one of the most overcrowded in the country by the Howard League for Penal Reform last month, she got the chance to see the prison's groundbreaking facilities, including the new First Night Centre.

Flanked by a security guard and her lady-in-waiting, the princess took a tour of the centre - part of the prison's plans to cut the risk of suicide and self-harm among new prisons when they first arrive at the Ribbleton Lane prison. New inmates undergo a three-day admission and induction programme, to help them settle in.

The Princess was welcomed to the prison by Preston City Council officials including Councillor Jonathan Saksena, the Mayor of Preston, and MP Mark Hendrick.