THE Duke of York met with members of the 1st Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment last week to present awards for long service and good conduct.

Visiting in his capacity as the Colonel in Chief of the Yorkshire Regiment, Prince Andrew joined Wiltshire's Lord Lieutenant Sarah Troughton to present several awards to servicemen and women in the regiment at Battlesbury Barracks on Friday.

Prince Andrew presented the Duke of York's trophy to Major Mike Wade-Smith on behalf of the Burma Company, who achieved the highest overall results in a series of military tests over a 12-month period, and presented 12 medals to soldiers for Long Service and Good Conduct totalling to more than 220 years of regular service.

Warrior Sergeant Major Anthony Moore, a medal recipient, said: "My family really enjoyed the day. It is the first time my mum has seen me in this environment since I was in basic training. It was good of HRH to come to present the medals and awards.

"My wife got chance to meet him and he was genuinely interested in my family. Meeting a member of the Royal Family is not something that happens everyday and it is an experience my family will remember for a long time."

The Duke, who spent a large portion of his time chatting to soldiers and their families, was also invited to see the men from Burma Company deliver a lesson on the newly issued VIRTUS kit that they will use in Canada on Exercise Prairie Storm.

Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel James Kennedy said: "It is always a privilege and an honour to host a member of the Royal Family, especially when it is your Colonel in Chief. What was key for us was to ensure that HRH spent as much time with soldiers and their families as possible and I think we achieved that.

"A great day by all, particularly those who received medals from HRH, and one to tell the grandkids in years to come."