His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales inspects soldiers of The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, at Fort George Barracks, Inverness
[Picture: Mark Owens, Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]
Prince Charles, who is the Royal Colonel of 3 SCOTS, visited the soldiers at their Fort George base to present the campaign medals following their recent deployment to Afghanistan.
Addressing about 500 soldiers and their families, the Prince referred to time spent in Afghanistan by his youngest son, Prince Harry. He said:
"You should be extremely proud of what you have achieved. Your professionalism, self-sacrifice and loyalty are unwavering. None of this do I take for granted because I can understand what perhaps was involved. You are, above all, an immense credit to the British Army and the country and we owe all of you a huge debt of gratitude."
In a private ceremony at Fort George, the Prince also presented the Elizabeth Cross to the families of three soldiers killed on active service.
During the visit, Prince Charles heard at first-hand the experiences of the soldiers, and also chatted to their families.
He was also given a demonstration of a dance - officially named as the Duke of Rothesay's Kandahar Reel; an idea conceived and put together by cousins, Captain Andy Colquhoun and Lieutenant Rob Colquhoun, during their operational tour. The energetic reel reflects the teamwork required to run and support the battle group in its aviation assault role.