Gurkhas based in Kent have today been awarded medals by Prince Charles and Prince Harry at a ceremony in London.

Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion Royal Gurkha Rifles (2RGR) were presented with medals at Buckingham Palace for their recent tour to Afghanistan.

Prince Charles, colonel-in-chief of the Royal Gurkha Rifles, led the ceremony for the regiment which is based in Folkestone.

Prince Harry, who served with the Gurkhas in Afghanistan 10 years ago, joined his father to present the operational service medals to 126 soldiers in the ballroom at the palace.

They served an eight-month tour last year called Operation Toral - the UK's contribution to help bring stability and peace to the country following years of Taliban rule.

The ceremony also saw two annual awards presented.

The Prince of Wales Kukri Award, given to the best senior non-commissioned officer went to Col Sgt Raj Rai and the Tuker Award, presented to the best junior officer of the year was given to Lt M Barney.

Prince Harry holds the Gurkhas in high regard having served with them in 2006 and 2007 in Afghanistan.

He said: "When you know you're with the Gurkhas, there's no safer place to be."

Crowds gathered earlier in the day as the Gurkhas marched from the Wellington Barracks through the gates off The Mall and into Buckingham Palace.

Prince Charles received an oil painting to mark his 40th year of being colonel-in-chief of the regiment. It depicts the Gurkhas marching along The Mall marking the 200th anniversary of Nepalese service to Britain last year.

Following the ceremony, the princes met with soldiers and their families in a reception at the palace.

A detachment of 400 soldiers from 2RGR based at the Sir John Moore Barracks in Folkestone, were sent out to Kabul last April.

The troops were tasked with non-combat roles which including conducting training with Afghan security forces and providing security for RAF helicopters at Kabul airport.

They also worked with fellow soldiers from Turkey, Denmark, Australia and Mongolia.

For many soldiers it marked a return to the country after serving on tours in the dangerous Helmand province.

Although the days of fighting in Helmand are now over, there are reminders that Afghanistan is still fraught with risk.

Speaking last September, Lt Will Patrick, of C Coy 2RGR, said Kabul was almost unrecognisable from 2002 when Gurkhas first toured Afghanistan.

He said: “Modern Kabul is a sprawling, urbanised and highly populated city, whose skyline is punctuated by concrete high-rise towers.

“At night, wedding halls in the north-west are lit up to impressive effect, more reminiscent of Las Vegas than the Afghanistan that veterans may recognise.

“Infrastructural and financial advances of the city belie the greatest constant – the existential threat posed by motivated and determined insurgents.”