THE Prince of Wales could visit Blackburn for the first time in almost 11 years.

Coun Sir Bill Taylor, leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, issued the personal invitation when he visited Buckingham Palace.

Sir Bill, 53, was being officially knighted when he took the opportunity to tell Prince Charles he was more than welcome to pay the town a visit.

He said he was honoured to meet the Prince, who was officiating at the ceremony while the Queen was touring South Africa.

Prince Charles has not been to Blackburn since February 1993 when he was taken on a hectic three-hour tour of the borough by a party of businessmen including the late Jack Walker. The Prince visited Bangor Street Community Centre for a talk about Blackburn Partnership and the Centurion Pub where he met community leaders and tenants from the Roman Road estate.

He also went to the Roman Road Neighbourhood Centre for a presentation on the work of Groundwork Trust before calling at King George's Hall to meet young business bosses who set up companies with the help of the Prince's Youth Business Trust.

Coun Taylor, who travelled to London on Friday with his wife Anne, daughter Katherine and son Matthew, was hopeful that the Prince of Wales would soon be back to see the work which has been carried out in the last ten years.

He was delighted to be invited to Buckingham Palace where he was the third person to be knighted.

He said: "It was a very interesting and very satisfying trip. I was the third person to be presented to Prince Charles and luckily he didn't slip with the sword.

"He asked me how Blackburn was being transformed so he had certainly done some research. I was able to tell him about the regeneration work being done in the borough, because he hasn't been to Blackburn for years, which he remembered.

"He said he must come up and visit Blackburn and I told him he would be very welcome.

"He was a nice man and very down-to-earth. The day was a nice mix of family and pomp and circumstance. There were more than 100 people at the ceremony and it was good that there was such a diverse selection of people."

After the ceremony, Coun Taylor and his family jumped in a taxi to the House of Commons for a meal hosted by Blackburn MP Jack Straw and his wife, followed by a quick tour of the House of Commons.

On the way home he visited his mother in Birmingham to show her his medal before watching the Birmingham City v Blackburn Rovers match.