The prince arrived at the school to see the work of his young people's charity, The Princes Trust, in action and was given an enthusiastic welcome by youngsters throughout his visit.

His first stop was at a newly-opened classroom where he chatted with teenagers involved in the charity's XL scheme, which works with pupils at risk of exclusion to encourage them to stay in education.

Tom Kirby, aged 15, said he was impressed with his school's Royal visitor.

He said: "I was quite nervous about meeting him but it was a really exciting experience.

"I didn't expect him to say much but he was a very nice, sociable person and he took his time to talk to me."

Charles brushes up on French at Northampton School - click here

All ages get to meet the Prince - click here for story and super slideshow

Classmate Ross McCreadie, also 15, said meeting the Prince of Wales was a surprisingly relaxed experience.

"It was brilliant," he said. "He wasn't what I was expecting at all. I thought he would act posh and not really want to talk to us, but he was a really down-to-earth, friendly person."

In the school's new theatre, the prince also spoke to 16- to 25-year-olds involved with other Prince's Trust projects around Northamptonshire before admiring a pupils' dance display.

He was then cheered out of the building by dozens of excited, flag-waving youngsters.

Headteacher Mark Griffin said: "It was a real honour to have the prince visit.

"It showed his commitment to the cause of helping young people develop and he was an inspiration to our students."

• Don't miss full coverage of Prince Charle's visit in the Chronicle & Echo on Friday