Prince Edward in royal visit to Coven adventure centre - with PICTURES

African drums beat like a pounding heart while smoke from camp fires lingered in the fresh morning air.

Prince Edward swapped the regality of his Royal residence at Windsor for a trip on the wild side as he paid a visit to an adventure centre near Wolverhampton.

The Earl of Wessex picked up the baton from his father as he joined students embarking on their Duke of Edinburgh at the Wilderness Academy at Laches Wood outdoor centre in Coven.

The Queen's youngest son met youngsters developing and learning survival skills in the heart of the forest.

Those that attend the centre will have the chance to sleep in tents, learn how to build shelters, cook food and light fires.

His Royal Highness arrived by helicopter and was received by Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Staffordshire, Mr Ian Dudson and unveiled a commemorative plaque as part of his official visit.

He met pupils from Barnfields Primary School in Stafford who were showcasing woodcraft skills and African drumming.

The Prince spoke to Riley Howarth, 10, who made a pump drill.

"He was asking about how we made the drills and wanted to know what we had learnt," said Riley.

"He was very nice and friendly."

The prince met other pupils making wooden whistles and joked about 'talking to owls' saying: "You make a noise and it can be rather embarrassing".

Barnfields deputy head teacher Graham Bell said: "The children were rather nervous - they think meeting royalty is a bit like the Tudor times and were afraid of doing something wrong.

"The Prince spoke to them and was really interested in the skills they had learnt - they did the school really proud."

In a teepee the Earl met more pupils from Barnfields playing African drums alongside Rob Bevins who was dressed as a Native American Chief.

"We have a real coming together of cultures," remarked the Prince.

Simon James, chief executive of company Entrust, who run the centre, said: “We are extremely honoured that The Earl of Wessex has chosen to visit our Laches Wood outdoor education centre to unveil our new Wilderness Academy and meet some of the young people involved in outdoor learning.

"We see first-hand the benefits that outdoor adventure and exploration offers young people, promoting emotional wellbeing and inner strength.

"We hope we showcased the strength of our outdoor education offer to The Earl and our top-flight facilities which are on offer to young people all across the country.”

Later in the day the prince opened a new training complex at Staffordshire Fire HQ in Stone.

Unveiling a plaque to commemorate his visit, he joked: "I'm going to make this look as slick and as professional as possible - it has taken years of practice and we don't receive training, we have to learn on the job."

The Queen's youngest son then paid tribute to the work of firefighters, saying: "I want to give my full thanks for the work that you do in very difficult circumstances."

Chief Fire Officer Becci Bryant presented the prince with a miniature statue of the one that sits outside of service HQ.

She said: "This marks an important milestone in the journey of the service because training cannot be underestimated. It is an incredible facility in which firefighters from Staffordshire will continue to develop and learn which is crucial to everyone's lives."