Stannah Stairlifts, the British stair lift manufacturer, received a high level visit from Prince Charles on Monday as the company celebrated the production of half a million stairlifts.

The Prince of Wales pushed the button to start the make of their 500,000th lift and joked that he was reaching rapidly a state of decrepitude, and now knows where to come for a complimentary stair lift.

The Prince visited the factory assembly line during his two hour visit and met with company employs and family members.

Stannah Stairlifts is a family-owned business that was established in 1867 in London and now employs about 1,700 people worldwide and exports it’s stair lifts to 42 countries.

In 2010 the company received a Queen’s Award for Enterprise and its most recent financial results show a 6.7% rise in operating profit.

Stannah has been honored with this prestigious award three more times in its 35-year history.