AROUND 100 well-wishers in Paisley cheered and applauded as Prince William arrived for his first visit to the town back in 2001.

Prince William and his father, Prince Charles, were shown around the then derelict site of Anchor Mills in Seedhill.

The young prince smiled and waved to the crowd as he and his father walked from their car to be greeted by Paisley’s Provost John McDowell.

Prince Charles joked with the crowd about the strong smell coming from the nearby tannery before spending almost half an hour inside the Grade A listed building.

Shouts of “good luck” and “we love you William” came from the crowd as the prince, who started his studies at St Andrew’s University on Monday (where he eventually met wife Kate Middleton) spoke to a number of onlookers.

One well-wisher, Betty Lamont, 64 at the time, from Paisley, had been waiting almost two hours to see Prince William and was thrilled to shake his hand. She said: “This has made my day. William is a lovely boy. He is going to break a few hearts. He’s very handsome, and so is his father. It’s lovely to see them both.”