News
The Prince of Wales hosts a reception for delegates of the Afghanistan conference
27th January 2010
The Prince of Wales welcomed guests from more than 70 countries to a reception at St James's Palace tonight, ahead of the Afghanistan summit.
The reception was planned to give delegates an informal welcome to London before the conference which is aimed at planning the future of Afghanistan.
The Prince's younger brother, The Duke of York, also welcomed guests to tonight's reception, among them Hamid Karzai, the President of Afghanistan.
The Prince greeted Mr Karzai warmly when he arrived at St James's Palace and the men chatted for several minutes. The charity Turquoise Mountain was founded by The Prince and President Karzai to help revive traditional craft skills in Afghanistan and protect the ancient buildings of Murad Khane in Kabul.
The Prince and The Duke greeted guests in the sumptuous surroundings of the Throne Room.
Many guests were keen to have their photographs taken with The Prince and he smiled obligingly for their pictures.
Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth was also present and thanked the delegates for coming to London for the talks.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, the head of the British Armed Forces, was among the representatives from British forces who were present.