HUNDREDS of junior soldiers based at an Army college have been visited by The Prince of Wales.

Prince Charles dropped in on pupils and staff at the Army Foundation College, in Harrogate, which trains junior soldiers aged between 16 and 17-years-old and has the capacity to train up to 1,344 at any one time.

Captain Lou James, the Officer Commanding of Fox Company which is responsible for the physical development of the junior soldiers, said the visit had left the young soldiers “absolutely buzzing” as they had been rehearsing for the visit for several days.

“The Junior Soldiers are here for a year so to see His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales was a real privilege.

“The message the visit sends is that the Royal Family are minded to find you what we do here at the college which is very rewarding but it also shows they have a deep feeling for the military as a whole.”

Throughout their time on the course the junior soldiers complete their Duke of Edinburgh award and will deploy on exercise for anything from 24 hours up to two weeks for their final exercise.