Charles sips coffee in Basra

BRITAIN’S Prince Charles paid a surprise visit to Iraq yesterday, strolling around one of Saddam Hussein’s old palaces to inspect British troops and share a traditional Arabic coffee with local dignitaries.

Under a shroud of secrecy, the prince flew into the violence-wracked country’s southern port of Basra, the command centre of 10,000 British troops based in Iraq as part of the US-led coalition which ousted Saddam last year.

The prince’s lightning trip to Iraq, during which he met with troops of the Royal Regiment of Wales and the Parachute Regiment of which he is commander-in-chief, was the first stop on a four-day regional tour, officials said.