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Royal date for tragic Gurkha family

The widow and children of a soldier killed in Afghanistan have met with Prince Charles.

Uma Dura and daughters Kristina, 10, and Kebina, six, live at Howe Barracks in Canterbury.

Col Sgt Krishna Dura, 36, died last month while fighting in Helmand Province with the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Gurkha Rifles.

Mrs Dura and her children were threatened with deportation after his death. The threat was lifted by the Home Office after a campaign backed by Canterbury MP Julian Brazier.

Prince Charles, who is Colonel in Chief of the Gurkha Rifles, visited the regiment’s rear party at Shorncliffe, Folkestone.

He met with Mrs Dura and her children, who presented the Prince with flower garlands to show their respect.

The Prince also met injured soldiers and spent some time with families in the officers’ mess.

Among those he spoke to was Col Sgt Ganesh Rai, who helped interpret for Mrs Dura.

“The work that goes on here is very important,” he said. “In operations it’s really, really necessary to support from the back – if you don’t support them they cannot fight.”

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