The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall yesterday heard the heart-rending tales of families whose homes were burnt down in the London riots.

 The royal couple also spoke to volunteers at the emergency help centre at Tottenham Green leisure centre, in Philip Lane, South Tottenham, during their visit.

Among those they met were Barbara Bereda-Malik, 45, and her husband Omar Malik, 47, whose flat in River Heights, above the Carpetright store in the High Road, was completely destroyed in a blaze.

After meeting Prince Charles, Mrs Bereda-Malik said: “It was really nice to see him and see they’re concerned about our situation. He asked about how we were coping.”

He added: “But at the end of the day we’ve got this trauma that we’ve been through.

“We are living in limbo now and it’s very stressful.”

Prince Charles chuckled as he posed for a mobile phone photo with the couple’s son Oskar, five, who appeared bemused by all the attention.

More then 100 families have come to the centre for help since the emergency strategy was put in place last week.

A spokeswoman for Haringey Council said 45 properties were completely destroyed in the fires started by rioters with a further 10 badly damaged.

Nearly all of those families have sought help from the centre, which is being manned by a number of volunteers.

One of the volunteers, secondary school teacher Anna Beames, 30, said she decided to help after she came to drop off some unwanted clothes.

She said: “I came here to donate some clothes last Tuesday and I haven’t really left.

“I’ve been helping with everything really. It’s my community, it’s where I’m from, so I felt I should.”

Speaking about the Duchess, she said: “She just asked me what I was doing and how long I’d been here.

“She told me she could barely believe it when she was watching it all on the TV.”

The royal couple also visited Hackney this afternoon where they met young people from some of the communities most affected by the London riots at The Prince’s Trust centre in Bayford Street.

Ironically Charles’ charity – which helps change young people’s lives – was set up 35 years ago following conversations with young people in the aftermath of the Brixton and Toxteth riots.

Martina Milburn, chief executive of The Prince’s Trust, said the work of the Trust is more relevant today than ever.

“The tragic events of last week have left communities torn apart,” she said.

“Many young people are now very vulnerable.

“We know the vast majority of young people were not involved in the criminal activity and it is these young people we need to protect from the devastating aftermath of the riots.”

The prince announced plans to invest £2.5m in riot-torn communities.

As well as committing £1 million from funds already raised, the charity is calling on the business community to back a £1.5 million fundraising drive to raise the rest of the cash.

Martina Milburn added: “This is an immediate opportunity for businesses to invest in schemes which are proven to work.”

More than three in four young people supported by Prince’s Trust programmes move into work, education or training.