The Prince of Wales has expressed his "despair at the pointless cruelty" in the world as he made a speech on reconciliation - referencing his beloved uncle Lord Mountbatten.

Charles gave the speech at a reception hosted by the speaker of the Serbian parliament, Maja Gojkovic.

It was held to celebrate British women on the Serbian front line in World War One, and the relationship between the UK and Serbia.

Speaking on St Patrick's Day, the Prince spoke about the 1979 death of Lord Mountbatten, who was killed by an IRA bomb on a boat off the west coast of Ireland.

He said: "Back in 1979, my dearly-loved great uncle, Lord Mountbatten, died in a horrific bomb attack in Ireland, along with his grandson, my godson, and others who were with him in his boat.

"I feel, therefore, that I have at least some understanding, through my own experience, of the heart-rending anguish that so many families in this region, of whatever nationality, race or religion, have experienced through the loss of loved ones.

"But after many years of reflection and, indeed, despair at the pointless cruelty and destruction we witness around the world, my own conclusion is this - that only reconciliation offers the assurance that our children and grandchildren will not suffer the same agonies as our generation."

Ahead of the evening reception, the Prince and Duchess of Cornwall made a number of stops, beginning the day at a cultural market in Novi Sad.

Crowds gathered in the square to see the royal couple - some taking to windows to catch a glimpse - and cheered and applauded as Charles and Camilla walked through, occasionally stopping to shake hands and exchange a few words.

They also visited the Matica Srpska gallery where the Prince turned his hand to art restoration.

He was shown the gallery's conservation studio, which is currently working on the Iconostasis of the Serbian Church in Budapest and, on being shown one of the pieces in the process of being cleaned, he was invited to have a go.

He picked up a tool and began gently scraping at the surface, saying: "This is very exciting. It's amazing. You have to be careful."

After enjoying himself for a short time, he laughed and said "I'd better not do too much" before putting the implement down.

During the afternoon the Prince visited the Kovilj Monastery, where he was met by its abbot, Father Isihije Hesychios.

At the monastery Charles took some time to speak to addicts who have used the monastery's rehabilitation programme, The Land Of The Living.

The project is free and aims to encourage the cessation of drug use by taking participants away from an addictive environment and encouraging recovery through manual labour and community service.

After hearing from some of the service users, Charles was shown where the monastery makes candles and brandy.

He tried a number of different types of the spirit, describing the plum brandy as "special".

The afternoon concluded with the Prince being shown around the Kovilj-Petrovaradin Marshes on a boat.