Prince Harry Storms the Capital! Royal Accepts Award in D.C. for His and Prince William's Good Works

Army Air Corps soldier met with wounded U.K. service members at the British Embassy before attending luminary-studded gala

Costume balls in New York are nice, but the royal action was at the Ritz Carlton in Washington, D.C.

On behalf of himself and brother Prince William, Prince Harry accepted the 2012 Award for Distinguished Humanitarian Leadership from presenter Colin Powell tonight at a black-tie gala attended by celebrities of the more buttoned-up variety, like United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

The royal siblings received the honor from the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank, for their work with military-aid charities in the U.K., including Walking With the Wounded and Help for Heroes.

Which brings us to Harry's garden party earlier in the day...

The 27-year-old prince, who is a captain in the U.K.'s Army Air Corps, met with soldiers during a garden reception at the British Embassy in D.C.

The combat veterans who greeted Harry had earlier this week competed for Britain in the annual Warrior Games, hosted by the U.S. Olympic Committee in Colorado for injured servicemen and women.

Before coming to Washington, Harry was in the Caribbean on behalf of grandmum Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee.