Prince Harry attended the 350th birthday of the Royal Marines at their base last night before troops set off through Blackheath for a midnight run in aid of charity.

The prince, in full uniform, joined the Corps Team in their celebrations before seeing the troops off on their Midnight 30 Miler – a moon-lit run through London for the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund (RMCTF).

Niraj Taana, 34, said the Prince enjoyed interacting with members of the public at the event.

“Harry was laid back and spoke to injured personnel and other royal marines as well as joking with them,” said Ms Tanna.

The charity run, which finished at 5am this morning, was part of phase five in the epic 1664 Challenge and since February has involved endurance tasks such as kayaking and skiing.

The troops began the run in Greenwich and passed through Blackheath and Woolwich before heading towards Southwark, Poplar and finally central London.

A baton, carried by the squadron, was safely delivered to the Lord Mayor, Alderman Fiona Wolfe CBE, in the early hours of this morning for safe-keeping before she hands it back to His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh at a commemorative dinner later in the year.

Corporal Tom Rounding, one of the six Royal Marines who completed every phase of the challenge, said: “The whole challenge has been pretty amazing and I’m so glad that I was given the opportunity to have taken part in an event that marks the illustrious anniversary of the Royal Marines. When we started the challenge back in February the end seemed a long, long way away, I can’t quite believe that we’ve done it.”