A TODDLER whose mother was tragically killed in a car crash got to present the Prince of Wales with a gift at the official opening of Wales Air Ambulance HQ.

Cian Evans, 3, was airlifted to hospital with two broken legs and a fractured skull following a crash on the M4 near Port Talbot that sadly killed his mum Rebecca Evans and her unborn daughter in November 2016.

Charity worker Rebecca, originally from Penygroes, was driving to work at the Swansea office of the homeless charity Shelter Cymru along with her partner Alex when the collision happened.

Her son was invited to Wales Air Ambulance’s base in Dafen, Llanelli, with his dad Alex, to present Prince Charles with a jar of local honey before His Royal Highness unveiled a plaque to officially open the headquarters.

Cian presented the gift of Mêl Cilgwenyn honey, local to the Dafen airbase, to HRH alongside Curtis Thomson, 4, who was flown to London on January 3 2018 for an urgent liver transplant.

Encore Stage School, who were taught by Cian’s mum Rebecca, were also invited to perform in front of Prince Charles at the event.

The Ammanford-based stage school has raised thousands of pounds for Wales Air Ambulance since Rebecca’s death by hosting concerts and taking part in the Cardiff Half Marathon.

The group, led by principal Elin Wyn Murphy, performed three songs for the royal visitor including a Welsh medley.

Their outfits didn’t go unnoticed by the Prince, who commented on the children’s traditional Welsh costumes as well as their “excellent singing”.

Elin said: “The children behaved perfectly and we are all very proud of them.

“It was lovely to be invited and we enjoyed meeting all the staff, pilots, medical team, volunteers and celebrities.”

During his visit, Charles climbed into a H145 helicopter at the site’s hangar - the same type piloted by the Duke of Cambridge during his time at the East Anglian Air Ambulance – and shared jokes with charity supporters Bonnie Tyler and Max Boyce.

He also climbed into a helicopter - chatting at length about the charity from the cockpit - and watched a medical team demonstrate a cardiac arrest scenario from the hangar.

The Prince previously opened the service’s first helicopter base, originally at Swansea Airport, when it was established in 2001.

In a speech to staff, volunteers, and supporters, he said: “I wanted to say what an enormous pleasure it is to come back and see this remarkable organisation, the air ambulance, after 17 years.

“I remember all those years ago when I arrived they were immediately called out so there was hardly anyone to meet at all.”

There were no call-outs during the visit so Charles was able to meet many members of the service.

He described how there had been “incredible improvements” over the past 17 years, with the charity now providing specialist services for children including the Children’s Wales Air Ambulance.

Charles also praised the work of volunteers raising money for the service and said it was “wonderful” to see supporter Mr Boyce again.

“As the father of an ex-air ambulance pilot I have a vague understanding of what you all do and what high professional standards you achieve,” Charles added.

The charity, which started with one aircraft, is now the largest air ambulance service in the UK - with four advanced helicopters that attend around 2,500 missions each year.

The site is the charity’s first owned and custom-built property.

Speaking after the visit, Max Boyce said Charles had been “a big fan over the years” - requesting a copy of his performance at the Sydney Opera House.