The Queen met patients at the opening of a new £300m hospital.

Forth Valley Hospital in Larbert is said to be one of the most modern in Europe, with 860 beds, 16 operating theatres and 4,000 rooms equipped with the latest technology.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were given a tour of the building, talking to staff and patients in the oncology and physiotherapy departments.

Escorted by Ian Mullen, chairman of NHS Forth Valley, the royal visitors also saw patients exercising in the gym as part of their cardiac rehabilitation.

The Duke was shown the first robotic hospital delivery system in the UK to transport supplies such as linen, food and clinical waste.

The Queen unveiled a plaque to mark the opening of the hospital, which will serve more than 300,000 people who live in the Forth Valley area. They then drove the short distance to Stirling Castle where the Queen reopened the newly refurbished James V Palace.

On arrival, the Earl of Mar and Kellie James Erskine handed the keys of the castle to Her Majesty before she was given a tour of the six apartments which have been restored to how they may have looked in the mid-16th century.

The Queen met the painters and interiors experts involved in the £12m project. She also met weavers who worked on the tapestries hanging in the Queen's Inner Hall.

The palace is the former childhood home of Mary, Queen of Scots, who lived there with her mother, Mary of Guise, widow of James V.

The Queen was shown an original wood Stirling Head dating back to 1540 commissioned by James V, with replicas created as part of the refurbishment to decorate the ceiling of the King's Inner Hall.

Ruth Parsons, chief executive of Historic Scotland, gave the royal couple a tour of the six rooms, with Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond following closely behind.

Mr Salmond said: "This is a very fitting part of the royal week to officially open the palace. It's an extraordinary project and an extraordinary completion.

"This is a remarkable presentation and there's no doubt about it that it will attract many tourists. It's only one of a number of jewels in the Stirling crown.

"The Queen thinks it is wonderful and has shown a great interest in all the magnificent details."