Prince Harry meets fellow soldiers wounded in war after paying tribute to the nation's fallen at Arlington Cemetery

  • Prince Harry visited the Walter Reed National Military Center and chatted with injured soldiers
  • At Arlington National Cemetery on Friday morning, Prince Harry placed a wreath on the grave of US Army Specialist Michael L Stansbery Jr, who died in Afghanistan in 2010, aged 21
  • Even in this somber setting, there was no escaping 'Harry-mania' as women gathered to take his photograph
By Rebecca English In Arlington, Virginia
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Prince Harry has said he wants to be a champion of 'wounded warriors' - servicemen and women who have been injured in combat - and today he had his first assignment in the U.S. - as he toured one of the country's largest military medical centers.

Harry's visit to the the Walter Reed National Military Center in Maryland came on the second day of his week-long U.S. tour, which kicked off with visits to Capitol Hill and the White House yesterday, before he paid his respects to fallen soldiers at Arlington Cemetery in Virginia this morning.

Dressed in his Army Air Corps fatigues and desert boots, the 28-year-old Prince, known as Captain Wales in the military, listened intently as he was given a briefing on advances in prosthetics after meeting the center's commander, Rear Admiral Alton Stocks.

He was then shown around the huge complex by Dr Chuck Scoville, chief of rehabilitation, including a demonstration in a revolutionary Computer Assisted Rehab simulator.

He watched as an double amputee army specialist injured on in Afghanistan - who could not be identified for security reasons - demonstrated what he had been learning on the machine which is used to help wounded soldiers normalise their balance.

Royal visit: Prince Harry chats with Staff Sgt. Timothy Payne, who lost his legs while serving in Afghanistan, during a visit to Walter Reed Medical Center
Royal visit: Prince Harry chats with Staff Sgt. Timothy Payne, who lost his legs while serving in Afghanistan, during a visit to Walter Reed Medical Center
Inspirational: Staff Sgt. Payne, who lost both of his legs while serving in Kandahar, told Harry of his injuries: 'It's all mind over matter'
Inspirational: Staff Sgt. Payne, who lost both of his legs while serving in Kandahar, told Harry of his injuries: 'It's all mind over matter'
Impressed: Prince Harry was taken aback by the advanced technology at the Walter Reed Memorial, where he chatted with fellow servicemen who had been injured
Impressed: Prince Harry was taken aback by the advanced technology at the Walter Reed Memorial, where he chatted with fellow servicemen who had been injured
 
'You obviously been doing it for hours,' Harry said as he walked in the room. 'How long have you been on this?'

'This is my first day,' the soldier replied.

When the medical staff told him to hold his arms up above his head, Harry joked: 'Like Iron Man' before adding: 'We've got nothing like this back in the UK. You guys as Americans are used to the technology, we are always behind.'