HE championed the “ordinary British bloke” and was met with a standing ovation when he wrapped up the first ever Royal Family visit to a trade union conference.

It was forty years ago when Prince Charles came to Bournemouth to attend the Iron and Steel Confederation conference.

They heard the Prince praise the everyday worker and how he was outstanding in every way.

“If we really tried, we could knock the stuffing out of all our competitors from here to next Christmas,” he said.

“We have the experience and the stamina but we need to understand each other better on both sides of industry.”

The Prince arrived by helicopter on the morning of June 20, 1979 and wore a beaming smile as he disembarked in a specially cordoned-off section of King’s Park at 10am.

The exact landing spot had been kept secret for security reasons but when King’s Park First and Junior Schools heard the Prince was coming they asked and were given permission to welcome him.

The Prince lifted off in his Wessex helicopter as just after 1pm when a crowd of about 400 gathered to wave a final farewell.