Prince Charles pays Gurkhas a visit
London : Soldiers from the Royal Gurkha Rifles were all smiles when the Prince of Wales visited them at their barracks ahead of their deployment. Charles, who is their colonel in chief, dressed in full Gurkha Rifles uniform to meet 150 soldiers and their families at the Sir John Moore Barracks in Folkestone, Kent. He also presented Corporal Harribahadar Budha Magar, 32, with an operational service medal. Mr Budha Magar lost both his legs during Operation Herrick 12 while serving in Afghanistan.The soldier, who has also served in Sierra Leone and Kosovo, said it was the sixth time he had met the prince. But Mr Budha Magar could not greet the prince wearing his normal prosthetic legs as they are broken and he was wearing temporary replacements. He said: "It's a pleasure and an honour to see him. He asked me how I was coping with my legs. They are fantastic. They are better than nothing, better than a wheelchair. He said, 'Can you demonstrate how you use them?'."
Mr Budha Magar said it was also an honour to receive a medal from the prince. He said: "He is the commanding officer so I am very pleased. I am here in my uniform which I am very proud of. I have met him six times and he is nice every time." On arriving at the base Charles met Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel David Robinson and the Gurkha Major Dhyan Prasad. He attended a short private briefing before walking to the battalion headquarters, where he was greeted by a Ceremonial Quarter Guard.
At the mess, Nepalese children Alena Gurung, six, Isha Gurung, six, Unnati Gurung, eight, Isha Gurung, eight and Restika Ale, seven, wore bright, traditional dress to greet the prince. Unnati also presented Charles with a Royal Gurkha Rifles garland. Charles then attended a reception for soldiers and their families where he spoke to people including Mr Budha Magar, Rifleman Kushal Limbu, who is training to qualify for this year's Paralympics, and Belinda Robinson, wife of the commanding officer.
Mr Limbu, 29, said: "I am hoping to qualify for the sprint and I am training very hard to get to the qualifying time. I train every day although I rest on Sundays. I am very nervous but my focus is to qualify first. It would be a big thing for me if I qualified and I would be so proud."
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