PRINCE Philip, famous for his gaffs, left clock designer Edwin Wright slightly bewildered by his comments during the unveiling of his masterpiece in Swindon town centre.

The 9ft clock, which has been dubbed the eye in the sky, was unveiled in Bridge Street last week, and started by Prince Philip on Friday.

Among the guests was London-based artist, Edwin Wright, 33, who designed the clock, and Cumbrian engineer Keith Scoby-Young, who built it.

Mr Wright said: "The clock looks fabulous now it is in place. It's really good and I am chuffed to bits with it."

But he was slightly surprised by his greeting from the Duke.

He said: "I was standing in line waiting to shake his hand, and I expected him to ask me something about the clock, and how I came up with the design.

"Instead he leaned forward to shake my hand, then grabbed one of the buttons on my coat and said: 'Did you steal these from a sailor?'

"I was gobsmacked and didn't really know what to say. I was wearing a navy blue overcoat and I had added some gold buttons that I bought in an antique shop. He never even mentioned the clock."

The Duke however, was slightly more conventional in his approach to Keith Scoby-Young, of the Cumbria Clock Company, who put the clock together.

Mr Scoby-Young, 39, said: "I think he genuinely liked the clock.

"He asked me lots of questions about how it was all designed and put together and he seemed really impressed with the innovative shape of it.

It was a proud day for Swindon when the Duke of Edinburgh agreed to give his royal seal of approval.

He began the day at the new Great Western Hospital, where he arrived at 10.45am in a red Range Rover.

He showed his sense of humour and gave the public plenty of laughs along the way.

It was a busy day because the prince also inaugurated the new £11.5 million New College building.

The prince was introduced to a host of dignitaries, including Swindon Mayor Stan Pajak, and Swindon and Marlborough Trust boss Sonia Mills, by the Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire, Sir Maurice Johnston.

A small crowd was gathered to greet him at the hospital, but he stopped to talk to a group of children from the hospital's nursery.

The prince then embarked on a tour of the hospital, as the staff lined the corridors to speak to him.

He first visited the radiology department before moving on to accident and emergency, and later a cardiac ward.

As he passed through a waiting room full of patients he joked: "So is this the famous waiting list," causing a collective chuckle.

He talked to two patients. Audrey Arthur, 67, a retired nurse from Covingham, was delighted when Prince Philip spoke to her.

She told him: "The staff have been ex-tremely good and the food is all right."

Eileen Finnegan, 72, from Stratton St Margaret told the prince: "I am feeling much better now."

Prince Philip formally opened the building before going on to New College for lunch hosted by Swindon Borough Council.

He showed a genuine interest in the students and their studies.

Although it was half term, students arrived for lessons to give the prince a flavour of the college.

Art and design student Ella Rumbold, 17, from Abbeymeads, was working on a silk print.

After meeting him she said: "He asked me about the silk print and wanted to see other work I had been doing. I didn't expect him to be as friendly as he was."

Prince Philip, who is known for his distrust of the media, gave a wry smile when student Matt Sloper, 17, from Swindon told him he wanted to be a journalist.

But A-level student Riz Quadri, 18, from Swindon, created a scene when he asked the prince to shake his hand and his request was refused.

Mr Quadri, who had stood in the corridor waiting to catch a glimpse of the prince, said: "I put my hand out and he didn't shake it.

"So I asked him to shake my hand but he wouldn't. "I am annoyed, very annoyed. All he had to do was shake my hand."

The prince made his way to the theatre, where guests had been enjoying a show by performing arts students, and he was presented with a picture by Leone Taylor.