Prince William joins British troops in Challenger 2 tank on visit to Estonia
The Prince of Wales has joined troops in a Challenger 2 tank as he visited UK soldiers on a NATO base less than 100 miles from the Russian border.
Prince William travelled in the commander's turret of the tank as it sped across muddy terrain at Tapa army camp in Estonia.
He watched on as soldiers from the Mercian Regiment took part in training exercises.
The Mercians, of which he is colonel-in-chief, have just started their six-month deployment in Estonia as the lead battlegroup working alongside NATO partners. With 900 British service personnel in Estonia, it is the UK's largest permanent overseas deployment.
The prince witnessed how soldiers worked to clear trenches, as smoke grenades were set off and blank rounds of gunfire rang out.
Earlier, as he oversaw the operational handover between the Royal Dragoon Guards and the Mercians, he was shown a selection of military vehicles including the Warrior, an infantry fighting vehicle, the Challenger 2 main battle tank, and the multiple launch rocket systems on the parade ground.
Later he was allowed to get behind the wheel of an Archer, a mobile artillery vehicle with a weapon range of 50km (31 miles).
Speaking to soldiers about his visit, he said: "Hopefully this provides a bit of interest for you all and what you're doing and keeps everyone on their toes."
His trip to Tapa Camp was part of a two-day visit on behalf of the UK government, with the prince deployed to show his support to Estonia, to Ukraine and the UK's commitment to NATO.
The visit has been in the planning for six months, but its timing couldn't feel more significant amid the ongoing threats from Russia, discussions of a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, and Trump's criticisms of NATO.
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Lt Col Grant Brown from 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment, who was accompanying the prince during the field training exercise, said: "Every week there is something new going on. Our job is to reassure our allies that we are absolutely committed to freedom. And to ensure we are ready to face any threat no matter where that might come from... We are constantly out here training to ensure that we are ready."
But aside from his high-level diplomatic role, Prince William wanted to draw attention to the reality of life for those troops expected to be ready to fight at any time.
Talking to Estonian troops, one of them told him how they daily think about the close proximity of Russia, with the prince saying: "Yes it must focus the mind".
He also spent time talking to British troops about their experiences of deployment and the impact it can have on their mental health. Breaking down the stigma around mental health is a cornerstone of the Prince's official work.
British forces are deployed to Estonia and Poland under Operation Cabrit, the UK's contribution to NATO's Forward Land Forces in the two countries, providing a deterrent to Russian aggression.
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