Duchess of Cornwall offers support to Help for Heroes cyclists

Some 300 cyclists have set off from Paris heading to London in a bid to raise money for Help for Heroes, which is behind the event.

The Duchess of Cornwall was on hand to meet the riders shortly before they left the French capital, as part of her first overseas solo tour as part of the royal family.

She spoke to the cyclists, who included about 50 war veterans and serving soldiers, before posing for photographs with the participants.

Jon-Allan Butterworth, a former RAF serviceman and Paralympic cyclist, told the BBC: "We need to remember our fallen, from all past conflicts to the current peacetime missions and now at home as well."

He was making reference to the killing of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich recently, a case that Mr Butterworth has suggested makes the ride from Paris to London "even more poignant" now.

It is expected to take about six days for the group to complete the journey to the UK capital.