His Royal Highness Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, has praised Sheffield Hallam University's award-winning Heart of the Campus Building at Collegiate Crescent during a commemorative visit.

The Duke of Gloucester, first cousin of Queen Elizabeth, was visiting the University as part of a wider tour of South Yorkshire.

Sheffield Hallam's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Chris Husbands, officially welcomed the Duke to the University before he was given an overview of the £27m state-of-the-art building project by the architects and constructors.

The tour included a visit to the building's psychology laboratories to observe a live demonstration of the University's ground-breaking eye-tracking technology.

The Duke also sat in the public gallery of the moot court to watch a live court case between a group of undergraduate law students, overseen by Judge Bruce Houlder QC.

The Duke took the time to talk to a number of students and staff during his visit, before unveiling the plaque to commemorate his visit - during which he praised the growth of the University and the "splendid" Heart of the Campus Building.

Professor Chris Husbands, Vice-Chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University, said: 'We were absolutely delighted to welcome the Duke of Gloucester to the Heart of the Campus to show him the fantastic work our students and staff are involved in, which is having a positive real-life impact on a daily basis. 

'The University is at the heart of the Sheffield City Region and our investment in world-class facilities demonstrates our commitment to providing the best possible environment for our students and staff - whilst also playing an active and participatory role in our local community.'