Photostream : Britain's Prince Harry pays tribute to Berlin Wall victims

Prince Harry (C) receives a history instruction by Axel Klausmeier, Director of the Berlin Wall Foundation, during a visit to the observation platform of the Bernauer Strasse Berlin Wall memorial on December 19, 2010 in Berlin, Germany. Prince Harry is on a two-day trip to Germany and spent the morning touring the memorial and the Brandenburg Gate. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Prince Harry (L) talks with British Ambassador to Germany Simon McDonald at Pariser Platz while visiting the Brandenburg Gate on December 19, 2010 in Berlin, Germany. Prince Harry is on a two-day trip to Germany and spent the morning touring sites including the Brandenburg Gate and the Berlin Wall memorial at Bernauer Strasse. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Prince Harry (L), accompanied by Axel Klausmeie (R)r, Director of the Berlin Wall Foundation, visits the Bernauer Strasse Berlin Wall memorial on December 19, 2010 in Berlin, Germany. Prince Harry is on a two-day trip to Germany and spent the morning touring the memorial and the Brandenburg Gate. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Britain's Prince Harry attends a wreath laying ceremony at the Berlin Wall memorial at Bernauer Street in Berlin, December 19, 2010. The memorial site remembers people who died at the Berlin wall or as a result of attempting to cross the border between East and West Berlin. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

A hand-written message left by Prince Harry lies at a memorial to people who died trying to flee from East Germany into West Germany during the Cold War at the Bernauer Strasse Berlin Wall memorial on December 19, 2010 in Berlin, Germany. Prince Harry is on a two-day trip to Germany and spent the morning touring the memorial and the Brandenburg Gate. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Prince Harry meets war-wounded heroes

Prince Harry

November 06, 2010 (KATAKAMI / TELEGRAPH.CO.UK) --- Proudly sporting an England rugby tie, the 26-year-old arrived at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday in glorious autumnal sunshine ahead of the match with New Zealand.

Inside the stadium he met members of the armed forces injured in Afghanistan, exchanging banter about the upcoming game whilst enquiring about their recovery.

The prince, vice patron of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and patron of the RFU Injured Player's Foundation, posed for pictures with servicemen who had lost limbs as a result of bomb blasts in Afghanistan.

Some of those he met had only recently returned from battle and are currently undergoing treatment at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine in Birmingham.

Others are patients at the Headley Court rehabilitation centre in Epsom.

Headley Court has recently undergone refurbishment, and the prince appeared keen on seeing the improvements.

"There is a nice pool down there," he told injured soldiers and their carers. "The facilities down there, I can't wait to see them."

Warrant Officer Bob Toomey, the Royal Marine liaison at Headley Court, explained the high esteem in which the prince is held within the armed forces.

He said: "It is utter respect. But you can also feel very relaxed with him. The lads were bantering with him, he was bantering back.

"The lift that this gives the lads, it means so much to them. It is part of their rehabilitation.

"He was talking about their injuries and he couldn't believe how upbeat they were. He was also talking about England winning."

After meeting the wounded serviceman, Prince Harry headed off to a pre-match lunch with rugby officials and dignitaries.  (*)