WORKERS at Derby train-maker Bombardier, whose factory was saved from closure last week, are to be honoured with a royal visit.

Clarence House has confirmed that the Prince of Wales will be going to Lit-church Lane next week for a tour of the factory, where he will meet the workforce.

Prince Charles will then go on to another of Derby's manufacturing heavyweights, Rolls-Royce.

His Royal Highness will tour the aero-engine maker's production assembly area, in Wilmore Road, Sinfin, before meeting apprentices at the company's Learning and Development Centre.

A spokeswoman for Clarence House said: "The Prince of Wales is visiting Bombardier and Rolls-Royce in support of British manufacturing and to recognise the vital importance of such companies to the national and local economy."

The visit to the county, which is scheduled to take place on Friday, February 24, will finish with a tour of Haddon Hall and Gardens, where the Prince will view restoration work and meet supporters and volunteers of the popular tourist attraction, near Bakewell.

The Prince's visit to Bombardier comes after the train-maker announced last week that it would be keeping its Derby factory.

Ever since the company lost out on the £1.4 billion Thameslink rail contract back in June to German rival Siemens, the Litchurch Lane workforce has been facing an uncertain future.

Shortly after Bombardier heard it had not won the deal, it announced a review of its UK operations and that it was shedding 1,400 jobs.

But last week, bosses at the firm told the 1,600 remaining workers at Litchurch Lane that the factory had enough work to stay open until 2014, after securing a £188 million deal to provide 130 carriages to Southern Railway.

The firm is also hopeful of landing the eVoyager project, which is believed to be worth about £127 million.

But Bombardier has warned that it will need to secure larger orders if the factory is to remain open beyond 2014 and has set its sights firmly on winning the next major government contract, which is the £1 billion Crossrail deal.

Bombardier worker Darren Barber said: "The guys have been through a lot. News that Prince Charles will be visiting us is therefore a massive plus and I'm sure it will lift morale.

"We're still very conscious that the future of the factory has only been secured for the short-term.

"Someone of Prince Charles' stature visiting the works can only be a good thing in terms of raising our profile and getting the message across to ministers that we are an important part of British manufacturing."

Mark Young, regional officer for the Unite union, said: "In terms of his public persona, Prince Charles has a track record of supporting British industry, particularly in regard to sustainability, which ties in well with the work that is done at Bombardier to produce green trains

"It would be nice if Prince Charles announces during his visit that the Royal Family wants to commission a new Royal Train to be built in Derby."

In Rolls-Royce, the Prince will be visiting one of the city's major manufacturing success stories.

Last week, on the same day that Bombardier confirmed it would be staying in Derby, R-R announced record profits of £1.16 billion – along with a record order book and sales.

The company, which took on an extra 800 staff last year, is currently investing in its Sinfin site, building an extension to its Learning and Development Centre.

The Queen's representative in the county is the Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire Willie Tucker. Following the announcement of the Prince's visit yesterday, he said: "I'm delighted to confirm that HRH The Prince of Wales has accepted our invitation to visit Derbyshire.

"This visit had been planned and in the diary for some time but the timing of the announcement of it is most welcome coming, as it does, when both Rolls-Royce and Bombardier have announced good news, coincidentally on the same day last week.

"We look forward to welcoming The Prince of Wales to Derbyshire and I am sure he will, as always, be given a warm welcome wherever he goes."