The Prince of Wales attended a lavish ceremony at the town's historic theatre, which has undergone an £11m facelift.

The theatre, built by Victorian architect Frank Matcham, was described as "a palace of glittering gold" when it first opened to the public in 1903.

Now, more than 100 years and 75,000 sheets of 23 carat gold leaf later, the Grade II listed building has been restored to its former glory.

Officially opening the new theatre, Prince Charles, who is patron of the Royal Hall, said: "I came here in July 2006 to see it for myself and it was little more than a shell. It took a certain amount of imagination to appreciate what it had been and what could be once again.

"Now, this wonderful old building has been returned to heart of the economic, social and cultural life of Harrogate, which I think is one of this country's most special towns."

At the opening ceremony, the Prince was entertained by performances from the Tewit Youth Band and the St Aidan's Church of England High School chamber choir, as well as two young choristers from the town, Emma Whiteley and William Dutton.

The restoration of the famous theatre was part-funded by a £2.7m donation from the Royal Hall Restoration Trust, a charity set up to raise funds for the work after structural problems forced the theatre to close in 2002.

Other contributors included the Heritage Lottery Fund, which provided £6m; and Harrogate Borough Council, which gave £2m after setting the wheels in motion on the project.

Chair of the Royal Hall Restoration Trust, Lilian Mina, who was awarded an MBE in the New Year's Honours List, said: "The restoration of the Royal Hall has been an enormously successful project, and this success has been down to teamwork.

"This is not just about restoring a precious part of our local and national heritage, but it has been about meeting our obligation to future generations to look after and pass on what has been provided to us by our own forebears."

On his visit to North Yorkshire on Tuesday, Prince Charles also visited Hill Top Farm in Spaunton and Grange Farm in Levisham, Pickering, where he met supporters of the Mutton Renaissance Campaign.