PRINCE Charles visited Hounslow Barracks to celebrate St David's Day on Thursday (March 1).
The Prince of Wales handed leeks to soldiers from the First Battalion, the Welsh Guards, before observing a parade to mark the occasion.
He was then shown around the Army Welfare Centre, where he met fundraisers who have helped injured soldiers learned about efforts to support troops' families.
He presented medals to soldiers from the battalion, including Drummer Dale Leach, who lost a leg in Afghanistan in 2009.
Before leaving he took a stroll through the main green, where families were able to enjoy fairground rides, including a merry-go-round and an inflatable slide.
His Royal Highness is colonel of the Welsh Guards, who have been based at the barracks in Beavers Lane, Hounslow West, for the last year. Soldiers from the 600-strong battalion have already started heading out to Afghanistan for a six-month tour of duty.
Among those the prince met was Charles Cartledge, who raised £20,000 for the Welsh Guards Afghanistan Appeal by completing a 155-mile trek through the hills of Nepal. "It's a great privilege to meet him. He told me how he'd travelled along the same route and was familiar with the difficult terrain," said the father-of-two, who lives in Pimlico.
The prince presented Drummer Leach with the Afghanistan medal.
The 25-year-old father-of-one fractured his skull, broke his back in three places and suffered a collapsed lung, as well as losing a leg, after his vehicle hit a bomb in Afghanistan.
"This award means everything to me and it's a special privilege to receive it from the prince. (After the explosion) it was hard to imagine I'd ever be able to stand here today," he said.
Lieutenant Colonel Dino Bossi, commanding officer of the battalion, said: "All Welsh Guardsmen past and present are extremely proud of our close connection with HRH The Prince of Wales and his presence with us at Hounslow today is enormously appreciated.
"For both the Guardsmen and their families it is particularly pleasing to know our colonel is behind us in our endeavours in Afghanistan and being presented with a leek on St David's Day is a powerful demonstration of his support."
Speaking in the mess room towards the end of his visit, the prince said: "You will make an enormous difference in terms of investment in the future and it's thanks to people like yourselves, I hope, that in time to come the Afghan people will have cause to thank you and be grateful for your extraordinary contribution."
