IT was smiles all round as the Birmingham Mail welcomed its newest royal visitor.

Princess Anne made it a royal double when she officially opened the Mail’s new state-of-the-art home at Fort Dunlop following a £15 million move from its former city centre site.

And it completed a royal coup for the newspaper after the old Mail buildings in Colmore Circus were opened by her aunt, Princess Margaret, in October, 1965.

The Princess Royal was shown a photo album of that visit during her tour yesterday, together with a separate collection of pictures from when her father, Prince Philip, came to the Mail’s offices in May, 1968.

Princess Anne rounded off her visit by unveiling a plaque to mark the official unveiling of the new BPM Media (Midlands) offices at Fort Dunlop.

She said: “Considering this is very much a state-of-the-art media building, and all that information technology can throw at you, I am hugely relieved it is a very traditional unveiling which I think I can probably manage.

“I know it is not the first, but I hope this will be a very good move.”

BPM Media (Midlands) managing director John Griffith presented the Princess Royal with a copy of the same day’s Birmingham Mail containing a photo of her arrival.

He thanked her for her visit, before adding: “I hope you found it interesting and enjoyable. We are honoured you have been able to find the time to join us and to help make the headlines in Birmingham today.”