The Duke of Kent was in town on Tuesday meeting a Martian called Bruno.
HRH met the ExoMars Rover prototype, used to explore a mock-up Martian environment at Stevenage aerospace firm Astrium.
A spokesman for the company said the duke has a personal interest in the space industry and had asked to visit.
“It’s fantastic to have a member of the royal family come here. He travels all over the world and all over the UK. He is an ambassador for UK industry.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here