Princess Alexandra met residents at the Royal Star and Garter Home in Surbiton last week.

The royal was taking part in the charity's Founder's Day celebrations, which marked the group's 103rd anniversary.

Royal Star and Garter was set up to care for severely injured young men returning from the battlefields of the First World War, opening its doors to residents on January 14, 1916.

Today the charity cares for ex-servicemen and women and their partners living with disability or dementia. Princess Alexandra has been its president since 1964. Her cousin the Queen became Royal Star and Garter Homes’ Patron in 1953.

One resident who met Princess Alexandra said: "It was very nice talking to her. She was very friendly and easy to talk to. I thought it was lovely that she came to the Home, it was an honour."

The princess met with residents and staff at the Surbiton home, before being shown some of the state-of-the-art equipment available there such as the OmiVista Mobii magic table, an interactive projector which keeps residents physically and mentally active by stimulating movement, memory, reasoning and recall.

A spokesperson for the home said: "Princess Alexandra was escorted around the Home by the Charity’s Chief Executive Andy Cole and Director of Care Pauline Shaw. Before leaving, Her Royal Highness also spoke to long-serving staff – some of who have worked more than 30 years for the Charity – and was presented with a posy by a resident."