A six-year-old girl from Colchester whose father serves in the Royal Air Force was invited to a special event to meet the famed Chelsea Pensioners.

Lillian Holland joined 14 other military children at the intergenerational gathering organised by the Little Troopers charity at the Royal Hospital Chelsea as part of the Soane Stable Yard redevelopment project.

The project reveals the Royal Hospital Chelsea's history and includes a plan to open a Chelsea Pensioner Museum in October this year.

Additionally, the redevelopment consists of reserved space for Veterans' Outreach, a café, and a post office.

After touring the hospital grounds, Lillian and the other children engaged in shared discussions about military life.

They then proceeded to decorate miniature Pensioners' tricorne hats and painted the official flower of the military child: dandelions.

Lillian said: "I liked meeting Tony and everyone on my table and doing the trail around the grounds. I had a very nice day and I enjoyed making a tricorn hat."

Louise Fetigan, founder of Little Troopers, added: "This event was about bringing together two completely different generations who both have a connection to the Armed Forces and were interested in learning more about each other's lives and experiences.

"We've had children travel from all over the country to attend and we'd like to thank the Royal Hospital for helping to facilitate such a special event that these little troopers will remember fondly forever."

Established almost 330 years ago by King Charles II, the Royal Hospital was designed to provide care and camaraderie for British Army veterans.

Today, nearly 300 pensioners reside at the hospital.

General Sir Adrian Bradshaw, governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, said: "Bringing Chelsea Pensioners and children from military families together to learn about the history of this institution and to share experiences will both help the young to put their lives into the context of the past, and reveal powerful social connections which bridge different generations of the military family.

"The children will leave today with a better understanding of the value we must place on veteran care and will hopefully carry this with them into their future."