Kiwis Meet the Prince of Wales
New Zealand Defence Force personnel working at International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, met The Prince of Wales recently.
The Prince stopped in at ISAF Headquarters on 24 March 2010, where he met with representatives from all the Commonwealth nations currently serving in Afghanistan, before carrying on to Helmand in a show of support to British forces in the southern province.
Royal New Zealand Air Force SGT Mike Havill, one of five Kiwis based at ISAF Headquarters, said The Prince chatted with them about how long they had been there, and how they thought the mission was progressing. “The Prince of Wales mentioned that he’d been trying to visit Afghanistan for some time, and was very glad to have finally made it. He said that Prince Harry’s service in Afghanistan had given him a unique understanding of the conditions that troops on the ground are facing.”
The Prince of Wales is the most senior member of the Royal Family to visit Afghanistan.
The 16th rotation of the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team (NZ PRT), and supporting personnel, arrived in Afghanistan early April. Their six-month deployment will see the majority of the 114 New Zealand Defence Force personnel work at Bamiyan Province. The others will work in roles within the International Stabilisation Force Headquarters, the National Support Element, and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.