Prince Charles thanks Gurkhas for looking after Prince Harry

LONDON - Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, has met and thanked about 200 Gurkha soldiers for taking care of Prince Harry during his time in Afghanistan in early 2008.

As Colonel in Chief, the Prince spoke to several soldiers from First Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles, their wives and children.

Charles was presented with a garland of the battalion’s colours - red, green and black, which he wore throughout the visit.

He also toured military equipment in a hangar and struggled with the weight of a 45lb backpack, which two Gurkhas helped to put on his shoulders.

Talking about Prince Charles’ visit, Captain Chandra Pun, second in command of the Company, said that he showed Charles a photo of himself and Harry enjoying a Nepalese curry in their sleeping quarters in Afghanistan.

“He laughed and said thanks for looking after my son. In Nepal we don’t use knife and forks, we use our fingers. That was the first time I taught Prince Harry how to eat rice with his fingers,” The Telegraph quoted Captain Pun, as saying.

“He asked a couple of questions about the boys. I told him we had done lots of training, most of the boys have lots of experience in Afghanistan, we are very confident and looking forward to it,” he added.

The 41-year-old added: “We are very proud His Royal Highness came down to visit us and it’s a good opportunity for our families as well.”

Captain Pun further said that he was lucky to have met Charles three times and served with Harry.

“The Gurkhas are very kind, we make friends very quickly. That’s why Harry adapted with us very well and we are very much looking after each other,” he said. (ANI)