The old and the new took to the clear blue skies above Bristol this morning to greet Princess Anne as she officially opened a new multi-million factory at the massive Rolls-Royce site in Filton.

The new plant is the final part of a £75 million overhaul of the complex which employs 3,600 people and as the Princess Royal unveiled a plaque to mark the occasion a Spitfire and a Eurofighter flew overhead.

Although separated by more than 60 years of history and light years in terms of technology both planes are powered by Rolls-Royce engines built in Bristol and the fly-over served as a fitting tribute to the Filton plant and its staff.

According to bosses at Rolls-Royce the opening of the new factory is testament to the engineering company's faith in its Bristol workforce and a declaration of its commitment to the city for the foreseeable future.

Princess Anne's arrived at the new factory behind the wheel of he own personal Range Rover and was met with warm autumn sunshine and a large crowd of workers who were given the morning off for the occasion.

She spent more than an hour touring the Defence Aerospace Factory and took time out to speak to both the assembled dignitaries and to the staff on the factory floor.

One of those who chatted to the Princess was Adrian Hill from Nailsea in North Somerset.

Adrian, who has worked at the factory for 28 years, said: "She was very interested in what we do here and asked about the changes that have taken place since we moved to the new factory. She was very charming and very easy to talk to and was genuinely interested in our work."

He added: "We are really pleased with new factory, the old building was 70 or 80 years old and the roof used to leak when it rained. Everyone is delighted with the new building."

His work-mate Spence Lamb, who is also from Nailsea, has been with the company for seven years. He said: "The move to the new factory has meant that the company was able to take a new look at the way we do things and is also a great vote of confidence in Bristol.

"Rolls-Royce would not have invested all this money in Bristol if they were not planning to be here for a long time."

Cassie Coles, 20, from Swindon, is in the second year of her apprenticeship with the engineering company and was thrilled to meet a member of the Royal Family.

She said: "I expected her to be a bit stuck up and a bit posh but she was nothing like that at all. She was really down to earth and had a really nice sense of humour as well."

Martin Fausset, the managing director of Rolls-Royce Defence Aerospace had the job of showing the Princess around the new factory.

He said: "Today was the culmination of a huge effort by everyone here to move our production and logistics from our old site and it has also been a great chance for us to introduce new working practices.

"Rolls-Royce has obviously made a significant investment in the Bristol site and they would not have done that if they were not happy with the adaptability and profitability of the business.

"The events that we have witnessed in the global economy in the past five to six months have been extraordinary and it would be foolish to think that they are not going to affect everyone including the defence sector in the long term. But we have to be prepared and ready as a company for any eventuality."