Prince Philip's bugle presentation

Britain's Prince Philip honoured a soldier who developed a Bugle Platoon for his unit recently.

The Duke of Edinburgh presented Bugle Major Shaun Held - who will shortly be deploying Afghanistan - with the Colonel-in-Chief's commendation after he taught the instrument to members of 1st Battalion The Rifles.

Shaun said: "I enjoy it, but it has become a dying art because of operational commitments, so I was very keen to get it started again in the Battalion."

The soldier was lauded for the amount of time he had invested in teaching the instrument to 15 soldiers.

He has led the Bugle Platoon in several key military events, including a Sound Retreat ceremony at Windsor Castle and anniversary parade for the Peninsula War in Madrid.

Shaun will be second-in-command of an Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team when he travels to Helmand province for six months shortly.

The team is tasked with helping Afghan National Army soldiers learn a number of skills so they can take on more responsibility themselves.

Shaun said: "I am a bit apprehensive about going because Afghanistan is still a dangerous part of the world. The family will go on as normal, although I imagine Christmas will be a low-key affair for them. We will try to keep in touch as much as possible."Prince Philip - who is Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles - met other soldiers during his visit, and watched a number of training exercises, including first aid, language training and weapons recognition.