Harry cheers on Paralympic stars

Prince Harry joined the crowds as he cheered on Britain's Paralympic stars - before hailing the "remarkable achievement" of war hero turned discus star Derek Derenelagi.

The royal laughed and joked with the former soldier, who lost both legs in an horrific Afghanistan bomb blast five years ago.

The dedicated 37-year-old has become one of the truly inspiring stories of the games, having competed in front of a packed-out Olympic Stadium last week.

Harry came face-to-face with the war veteran poolside as they watched Ellie Simmonds' 50m freestyle qualifier this morning.

Fiji-born Derenalagi was initially pronounced dead following the devastating blast in 2007.

As he lay in a hospital bed recovering, his resilience meant he became the unwitting inspiration behind the Help for Heroes charity.

And he marked an inspiring turnaround last week by performing in the discus, finishing 11th.

The pair laughed and joked as Harry praised his journey to the 2012 Paralympic Games.

Derenalagi said: "He (Harry) asked me about my performance last Friday and I told him that I was very proud to have competed for ParalympicsGB but a little disappointed in my performance.

"He said that he thought it was a remarkable achievement to have gone from the frontline to representing GB again at the Games, and that I have a lot to offer ParalympicsGB."