The Prince of Wales rode a tank on the final day of his visit to Estonia in his role as Colonel-in-Chief of the Mercian Regiment
The Prince of Wales said he hoped his visit to Estonia would “keep everyone on their toes” as he donned full military gear on a visit to a major military base in the Baltic state.
William, Colonel-in-Chief of the Mercian Regiment, met Estonian forces training alongside British troops at Tapa Camp, located around 80 miles from the Russian border.
He rode in a Challenger 2 tank before heading inside the commander’s turret of a Warrior infantry fighting vehicle to give him an “eagle-eye view” of a trench warfare exercise as he arrived.
The first soldiers were already firing machine guns from the vehicles into the trench as William rolled in, and he watched as members of the regiment undertook an exercise to spot and break into an enemy trench before capturing “high-value target” enemy troops.
Prince William carried out a two day visit to Estonia (Image: Getty)
Standing above the trench, William had Major McNeil explain the scene to him as gunfire sounded and smoke occasionally blocked the view of the troops. White smoke grenades were thrown into the trench to obstruct the enemy’s view, while yellow smoke grenades indicated the allied troops’ frontline position.
Following the demonstration, William was given the chance to drive an Archer, a mobile artillery vehicle.
Having been handed the keys, the prince expertly drove the vehicle and made sure to accelerate past the press, who were standing watching in the muddy terrain.
During his time at the Camp, William spoke to soldiers about the chilly temperatures and told them: “I’m very pleased to be here.”
Prince William had a go driving a tank (Image: Getty)
He then presided over an official handover ceremony from the Royal Dragoon Guards to his regiment, before being shown a selection of military vehicles.
After asking the soldiers about their upcoming operational exercises, he said of his visit to the base: “Hopefully, this provides a bit of interest for you all and what you’re doing and keeps everyone on their toes.”
William’s visit to Tapa aims to highlight the role of British troops in Operation Cabrit, which involves around 900 soldiers stationed as part of Nato’s defence of the eastern flank – the UK’s biggest international operational deployment.
Russia is seen as a growing threat in the region following its three-year long invasion of Ukraine, and the Baltic states – Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia – which border Russian President Vladimir Putin’s nation are increasingly concerned.
Before leaving the base to head back home in time for the school pick-up, William visited the welfare team to hear about the wellbeing support that is available to officers deployed in Tapa and chatted to troops at The Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI) shop and canteen.
Prince William had a go a table football and pool with the soldiers (Image: Getty)
Speaking to the only welfare officer on the camp, the prince was told that troops respond better to the term “mental fitness” rather than mental health and chatted to soldiers who had just arrived in Estonia.
“It must focus the mind a little bit coming out here, knowing what’s going on the rest of the world, the context,” he said.
“And in fact, the Russian border is only a few hundred miles from here.. it does feel like it’s a bit more of an operational environment rather than just training.”
The prince added: “It’s quite a lot of things to be thinking about while you’re operating out here and does focus the mind a little bit.. what the challenges are coming up.”
William promised to supply a fridge after hearing that one was lacking and asked if they had a toastie machine, noting how much he “loved cheese toasties”.
The Prince tried his hand at pool (Image: Getty)
At the NAAFI, which offers soldiers a place to relax, watch TV, play games and have hot food and drinks, the prince was invited to represent his beloved football team Aston Villa in a table football game against a Man City team.
“This is a big match,” joked William. “One of us can never live this down, you know that. I fear it’s me.”
But the Prince’s side was first to score and he joked that the game was over now he had won. He asked soldiers about the Camp’s facilities and seemed particularly taken by the fact that they included a sauna. “That’s a new thing on me, the sauna,” he said, referring to the fact that they are not usually found on military bases in the UK.
“I now have an image of you all in the sauna. Lots of sweaty soldiers is not one to think about. Make sure there are no hydration issues from spending too long in the sauna.”
Elsewhere he discussed the difference between Spring or Winter deployments to the camp, where temperatures can reach -20.
“It’s my first time in Estonia,” he said. “The President was saying to me yesterday how important it is that you guys are here. It goes right to the top of Estonian society.”
