Crew members from Yarmouth and Gorleston lifeboat station will today welcome the Duke of Kent, president of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.The 5pm visit will precede the Duke's visit to the Yarmouth Hippodrome to see a concert by the Russian State Philharmonic Orchestra starring Julian Lloyd-Webber.

Crew members from Yarmouth and Gorleston lifeboat station will today welcome the Duke of Kent, president of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

The 5pm visit will precede the Duke's visit to the Yarmouth Hippodrome to see a concert by the Russian State Philharmonic Orchestra starring Julian Lloyd-Webber.

Ahead of his visit, the Duke said: “This will be the first time I have ever visited this lifeboat station. It's a great opportunity for me to hear about some of the crew's more dramatic rescues that they have carried out and I look forward to meeting them all.”

Yarmouth and Gorleston RNLI lifeboat operations manager Neal Duffield said: “I am absolutely thrilled to bits that our president is visiting us. It is a great honour for the station and the crew are very excited. We are all getting ready to welcome him as we welcomed his sister, Princess Alexandra, a few years ago.”

The Duke will be met by the Mayor of Yarmouth, Terry Easter, at the boathouse and souvenir shop. He will be provided with a history of the oldest lifeboat, John and Mary Makeland, which hangs in the boathouse, and will enjoy an inspection of the all-weather lifeboat, the Samarbeta.