Prince Charles makes trip to Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan, March 25 (UPI) -- Prince Charles ended a two-day trip to Afghanistan with a briefing Thursday from U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who commands NATO forces there.

The prince of Wales is the most senior member of the British royal family to visit Afghanistan, where his younger son, Prince Harry, was deployed for several months, The Guardian reported. His office said in a statement he is "the only royal in living memory" to have traveled to Kabul, the Afghan capital.

During his whirlwind trip, the prince went to Helmand province where he spent time with British troops at a patrol base, inspected an Afghan honor guard and met the provincial governor and other local leaders. He had time only for a phone conversation with President Hamid Karzai.

At a news conference, the prince said the Rifles regiment, which has had a spate of recent casualties, is having "a bloody awful time."

"I am thrilled to have got here at last because I just wanted to see the kind of conditions they were in and also to try to generally take an interest and encourage," he said.