Prince Jokes To Double Amputee: 'Put Wheels On'

Prince Philip joked with a double amputee soldier that he should put wheels on his prosthetic limbs "to get around more easily".

Trooper Cayle Royce, who lost both legs in a bomb blast in Afghanistan last year, met the Duke of Edinburgh during a royal visit in London.

The prince and the Queen were opening the new headquarters of the armed forces charity SSAFA, formerly known as the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen Families Association.

Trooper Royce, 27 said it was an honour to meet the Duke. The South African with the Light Dragoons, who now lives in Dartmouth, said: "He's my hero. He's just a great person."

Asked why he was laughing with the Duke, he said: "He told me I should lose the feet and put some wheels on my prosthetics.

"He said it will be easier to get around."

Trooper Cayle, who sets off to row across the Atlantic next month, also met the Queen as she officially opened the HQ.

The soldier said he spoke to her about how his Row2Recovery challenge has been supported by a grant from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry's charitable organisation, The Royal Foundation.

Having been patron of SSAFA for 60 years, the Queen was given a medal to mark the occasion.

General Sir Kevin O'Donoghue, SSAFA's chairman, joked as he presented it to her: "See it as a variation of a Long Service and Good Conduct Medal."

The Queen, who was greeted by her cousin, Prince Michael of Kent, who is the charity's president, also unveiled a plaque at Queen Elizabeth House, St Dunstan's Hill.

After meeting various charity beneficiaries, volunteers and staff, she was given a posy by six-year-old Harley Inns, whose brother, Rifleman Martin Kinggett, was killed in Afghanistan in 2010.

Rifleman Kinggett, from 4th Battalion The Rifles, died of a gunshot wound while giving covering fire for an injured colleague.