Royal visitor for Kosovo troops

Some 600 British troops are being deployed to Kosovo UK military deployments worldwide

Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, visited the 2nd Battalion, The Rifles, in Ballykinler on Friday.

Six hundred troops are being sent to Kosovo at the end of May to form part of Nato's peacekeeping force.

The prince, who is colonel in chief of the regiment, met the soldiers to discuss their Kosovo work.

The royal visitor was given a tour of the new accommodation at Abercorn Barracks. He also met the soldiers' wives and children at the base.

There are currently 150 British troops working in Kosovo.

2nd Battalion, The Rifles, based in Ballykinler, Northern Ireland, have been specially trained in riot control for the deployment.