A young woman was bizarrely left holding Prince Harry's shoes today after he took them off before taking the wheel of an Aston Martin to race alongside injured soldiers helped by one of his charities.
The smiling Prince sped around Goodwood Motor Circuit in West Sussex in a range of vintage vehicles as he joined veterans at a special track day.
Harry, who is patron of the Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, spoke to soldiers supported by its Endeavour Fund.
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The charity, created by the Prince and the Foundation in 2011, tries to ensure that wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women have the chance to rediscover themselves through physical challenges.
It does this by offering funding for new events and helping new projects with advice, hands-on support and mentoring, a spokeswoman for Kensington Palace said. So far, The Endeavour Fund has supported more than 300 men and women via projects including the Walking With The Wounded trek to the South Pole, Race2Recovery, Walk On Wales, Flying For Freedom and a Fastnet Race team.
Prince Harry joined servicemen speeding around the circuit in cars including a 1964 two-series blue Aston Martin DB4, a black Lamborghini, a silver Aston Martin and a red Jaguar, a prototype F-type Coupe R.
The Pince looked relaxed in jeans and a navy sweater as he mingled with participants and Goodwood officials at the special even this morning. He even removed his shoes before getting behind the wheel of the Aston Martin, with a track official seen bizarrely holding them rather than leaving them on the floor.
Among those taking was Captain Mark Jenkins, who was part of a team of four who took part in Row2Recovery, sailing from the Canary Islands to Antigua in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.
The 34-year-old, who is part of the Royal Army Medical Corp, was joined by amputees, soldiers Cayle Royce and Scott Blaney, and fellow serviceman James Kayll.
He said the project would not have been possible without a £30,000 grant from The Endeavour Fund.
Capt Jenkins said they received the funds after going through a 'Dragons' Den-style' presentation.
He said: 'It's the best thing you have ever done, the hardest thing you have ever done, the worst thing you have ever done, all in one experience. It's hard to mentally and physically motivate yourself to keep going.'
Capt Jenkins said the scariest moments were when their boat capsized and getting a bit too close to a few ocean liners for comfort. He said the team were hoping to raise £100,000.
The 31-year-old, who was shot in the chest in Afghanistan, climbed Manaslu, in Nepal, the eighth highest mountain in the world, in 2011, and attempted Everest in 2012.
He said he joined the fund because he knew the power challenges like this could harness in people who have been injured.
Prince Harry also met Battle of Britain RAF pilots, Spitfire pilot instructors and viewed a Spitfire in the hangar at Boultbee Flight Academy at Goodwood to launch a scholarship for wounded ex-servicemen and women.
With the mentoring support of The Endeavour Fund, the Academy is working with Aerobility and Flying For Freedom, a non-profit organisation partnered with Help for Heroes whose mission is to create virtual flying schools across the UK staffed and run by the wounded, injured and sick.
RAF Corporal Alan Robinson, 35, who is involved with Flying For Freedom, spoke to the Prince about how the fund has helped to train servicemen to become microlight pilots.
His aim is to fly a microlight to the Antarctic, he said.
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