Prince William donned his camouflage gear as he arrived today in Salisbury to join the Welsh Guards in drill practice.
William, 42, spent the morning with the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards in his capacity as colonel of the regiment – a ceremonial role he assumed in December 2022.
Tuesday’s visit to the Salisbury Plain marks William’s second royal engagement in as many days, after he inaugurated a new environmental project together with Oman’s Crown Prince in London yesterday.
The future king matched with the officers of the Welsh Guards, with William wearing his military uniform as he participated in live firing drills and tried his hand at flying drones during the nearly two-hour visit.
The trip was organised to give William the opportunity to hear how the Welsh Guards have been transitioning from their ceremonial duties back to the Field Army in recent weeks.
For the past two years, the Battalion has led a number of historical ceremonial events – including the funeral for Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III, and as Trooping their Colour for His Majesty’s first Birthday Parade last year.
Additionally, the regiment has been carrying out overseas operations in the Falkland Islands and Oman.
Prince William, the Prince of Wales and Colonel of the Welsh Guards, donned his camouflage gear as he arrived in Salisbury to join the officers of the regiment in drill practice on Tuesday
William, 42. was photographed in conversation with officers of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards in Salisbury, Wiltshire
Members of the Welsh Guards prepare a general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) ahead of a visit by Prince William
William hears from Specialist Platoons personnel, wearing camouflage gear ahead of drills practice
William (right) appeared to enjoy a lighter moment with soldiers from the regiment, as he learnt about the Welsh Guards’ artillery
The 1st Battalion Welsh Guards are now focusing on regrowing the regiment’s specialist weapons capabilities to bolster their work abroad and in the UK.
As part of this, Specialist Platoons within the Welsh Guards have been carrying out live firing training on Salisbury Plain, using different weapon systems to ensure safety, competency and knowledge of these systems in realistic combat scenarios.
After the Prince of Wales received a briefing on the work the preparatory work the regiment has been doing and meeting personnel from the Specialist Platoons, he joined the officers in practice drills with snipers and machine guns.
The Prince, who himself went through Sandhurst and then joined the Household Cavalry (Blues and Royals) as an officer where he worked as a troop tank commander, also observed how various other weapons are used by the Welsh Guards.
These included GPMG (General Purpose Machine Gun) and Small Uncrewed Aerial Systems (sUAS – Drones) which provide significant advantage to commanders and soldiers on the ground.
During his visit, he will also have the opportunity to meet with the Specialist Platoons to discuss their different roles within the Welsh Guards and how they are finding the transition back from their ceremonial roles.
While William is flying solo today, he was accompanied by Princess Catherine as they honoured the Welsh Guards during the St David’s Parade in Windsor last March – which marked William’s first time visiting the Battalion since assuming his royal role.
In a short speech at the time, William said he was ‘honoured and delighted’ to be their new Colonel, taking over the ceremonial role held by his father, the former Prince of Wales, Charles.
William watching a drone during a visit to the regiment
Here, he is holding a drone ready to be launched
Drones like the one William is holding provide significant advantage to commanders and soldiers on the ground
William inspecting the drone
The drone leaving William’s hands as officers watch on
The drone flying higher as William launches the Small Uncrewed Aerial System (SMAU)
William holding up the drone
The drone flies off
Willam is pictured here flying one of the Welsh Guards’ drones
The prince smiles as he watches the drone take flight
William’s trip to the Salisbury Plain comes one day after Prince William joined Oman’s Crown Prince His Royal Highness Theyazin bin Haitham to inaugurate an ambitious new environmental initiative at London’s Royal Geographical Society on Monday.
As co-patrons of the Jewel of Arabia Expedition, William and Theyazin unveiled the project that aims to highlight both Oman’s rich biodiversity and heritage,m as well as the environmental pressures facing the country.
The trek has been designed to promote the biodiversity and heritage of Oman but also highlight the environmental pressures facing the country.
The expedition team will be retracing the steps of British explorer Bertram Thomas who made the journey in 1928. Thomas kept diaries of his travels, accompanied by photographs and detailed maps of the area.
While Prince William does not plan to fly to Oman in January to join the expedition, he told guests he would ‘try and make something happen’ in the future as regards a visit.
The prince added: ‘We’re in the planning process.’
Williiam was invited by his Omani counterpart to be a co-patron of the expedition because of his focused conservation efforts and activism – including launching the Earthshot Prize in 2019 when he was the Duke of Cambridge.
William also participated in live drills with the Welsh Guards in his capacity colonel of the regiment
The Prince of Wales (left) holding a general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) during drills practice
William (left) looks focused during live firing drills practice with officers of the Welsh Guard
William takes aim with a sniper rifle during a visit to the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards at Salisbury Plain
Prince William (left) firing a machine gun
Prince William (left) was named colonel of the Welsh Guards in 2022
Speaking at the London launch of the Jewel of Arabia expedition, William said he was ‘delighted’ one of the previous winners of his Earthshot Prize hailed from Oman.
Prince William has made a number of public appearances in November, with Princess Catherine of Wales joining him for the nation’s remembrance events.
William remained by his wife’s side when they joined senior members of the Royal Family at the annual Festival of Remembrance concert on November 9 – marking Kate’s first major official engagement since completing her preventative chemotherapy treatment.
Kate, 42, shared she had been diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in March, weeks after Buckingham Palace announced King Charles was also battling the disease that was detected during unrelated treatment for an enlarged prostate.
In a rare moment of vulnerability, Prince William described the past year as the ‘hardest’ of his life following his wife and father’s cancer diagnoses.
He admitted 2024 had been ‘brutal’ during an interview in South Africa, where this year’s Earthshot Prize awards ceremony was held.
William also said he was ‘proud’ of the dignity, courage, and grace with which Kate and his father had handled their respective health battles.
Speaking in Cape Town, William was asked how the past year had been for him as a husband and a son.
While William is flying solo today, he was accompanied by Princess Catherine as they honoured the Welsh Guards during the St David’s Parade in Windsor last March
William at the Salisbury Plain on Tuesday
William speaking with personnel from the Specialist Platoons
During his trip, William learnt about the work the regiment has been doing as they steer themselves away from ceremonial duties and back to the Field Army
William wearing protective gear as he joined the soldiers for a series of living firing practice drills
The Prince, who himself went through Sandhurst and then joined the Household Cavalry (Blues and Royals) as an officer where he worked as a troop tank commander, also observed how various other weapons are used by the Welsh Guards
William during his visit to the Salisbury Plain on Tuesday
William was sporting a full beard for the military visit
The Prince of Wales also received a briefing on the work the regiment has been carrying out and met personnel from the Specialist Platoons
Prince William, Prince of Wales and Colonel of the Welsh Guards (C) speaks with military personnel during his visit to the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards at Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England
‘Honestly? It’s been dreadful,’ he replied. ‘It’s probably been the hardest year in my life. So, trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult.
‘But I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done.’
At the end of his visit to South Africa, William also said he is hopeful Kate will be able to join him on foreign trips next year, as the Princess of Wales makes a steady return to public life after completing her cancer treatment this autumn.
Earlier this month, Kensington Palace confirmed Kate will host her annual Christmas carol concert in December, with the televised service at Westminster Abbey ‘eflecting on ‘how much we need each other, especially in the most difficult times of our lives’.
The future queen posted a teaser video on X of her official royal invitations being printed for select individuals.
Each invite contained Kate’s elegant royal cypher, which is the initial C for Catherine underneath a crown, and the clip showed them being printed ‘fresh off the press’.
The princess wrote: ‘Something exciting is coming…
‘The invitations are fresh off the press for this year’s Together At Christmas Carol Service, which will be returning to Westminster Abbey on Friday 6 December.
‘We can’t wait for you to join us too! Tune in on @ITV and @ITVX on Christmas Eve.’
The video ended with the Kensington Palace logo, followed by falling snowflakes to mark the start of the festive season.