THE Duke of Edinburgh braved the cold weather yesterday, when he visited the region to see the oldest British warship in the country.

Members of the public and youngsters from the TS Trincomalee Sea Cadets welcomed the Duke to Hartlepool's Historic Quay as he visited the restored HMS Trincomalee triple-masted wooden frigate.

The Duke is patron of the HMS Trincomalee Trust, which has just been awarded cash from the Heritage Lottery Fund to help complete the £10m restoration project.

During his visit he met members of the trust, children from Ward Jackson Primary School and congratulated those who have worked on the historic ship project.

Painter Ronnie Taylor, who has worked on the ship for more than seven years, said: "It was good that the Duke got to see the result of all our hard work.

"We want to see the ship out of the dock now, then our work will really be over."

The Duke was given a private tour of the Trincomalee's lower decks and main gun deck and then he emerged to offer sympathy to the young cadets waiting in the cold to honour him.

He told one girl she was turning blue and joked with others that, despite the warship's age, it was a lot warmer on board than on the dock.

Spokesman for the Trincomalee Trust, Bryan Hughes, said: "The Duke last visited in 1993 during the early stages of restoration.

"It was excellent for him to come back now that we our reaching completion.

"We are absolutely delighted that everything went smoothly and was enjoyed by everyone.

"It was great for the Trust, great for Hartlepool and great for the region."

The restoration work is due to be finished next spring when it is hoped the ship will go to a permanent berth in Jackson's Basin, Hartlepool