ROYALTY graced Palmers Green last week as a princess returned to visit a charity centre she opened 50 years ago.

The Ruth Winston Centre in Green Lanes was opened by Princess Alexandra in 1961 – and she returned to meet nearly 100 staff and volunteers on Wednesday as the charity celebrated its anniversary.

The Princess – who is 39th in line to the throne – was given a tour of the over-50s centre and cut a cake to mark the milestone.

The charity offers its 1,100 members more than 60 classes including computing, art and line dancing, as well as a place to meet and socialise.

Manager Yvonne Quigley said: “It went unbelievably well. The fact that she stopped to speak to every single person that was here made it really special.

“She was so interested in what everyone had to say and what we do here.”

The centre was set up by former Mayor of Southgate Ruth Winston to serve the elderly of the borough during her mayoral year, and originally provided just a lunch club and advice session.

But a major fire destroyed the building in 1970, which gave members the chance to redesign the building to give easy access to the elderly and disabled – improved further by a refurbishment in 2005.

The royal visit was attended by Mrs Winston's children - including television professor Lord Robert Winston - as well as Enfield Southgate MP David Burrowes and Mayor of Enfield Councillor Christiana During.

Trustee chairman Chris Rash, who showed the princess around the centre, said: “I'm so glad she came back to see how we've developed the place since she opened it.

“What we've tried to do here is build a community and recently sort out our own funding arrangements so that we can continue to offer all of our services.”

Enfield Council agreed in 2009 to carry on providing £50,000 a year to the charity until April 2012, on the condition that it would become fully self-sustainable in the future.

Mr Rash said the trustees had yet to finalise all of their funding, but were hopeful they could secure grants and donations to meet the costs of between £150,000 and £200,000 a year.

Membership of the centre costs £8 a year, which gives access to the drop-in centre and a range of classes.

For more information, call the centre on 0208 886 5346 or click here.