Dressed in combat gear and beret, Prince William was seen eagerly climbing into a British tank after arriving at a NATO base in Estonia this morning to take part in a major military exercise just 90 miles from Russia.
The future king is at Tapa Camp, just under two hours drive from the border, in his role as Colonel-in-Chief of the Mercian Regiment who are about to undertake a six-month posting to the region.
Operation Cabrit is a major multi-national NATO operational exercise designed to show the strength of the organisation through its united commitment to collective security and defence.
William, 42, took part in a trench warfare training exercise in what has been described as ‘Putin’s backyard’, as allied troops fired on an enemy position.
Donning a protective helmet and glasses, the Prince of Wales travelled in a Challenger 2 tank to be briefed about the exercise, before switching to a Warrior infantry fighting vehicle to travel out to the field exercise.
His vehicle was the last of three to arrive at the scene where soldiers from the Merican battlegroup were undertaking an exercise to spot and break into an enemy trench before capturing ‘high-value target’ enemy troops.
As the first two Warrior vehicles arrived after spotting the trench, they opened fire on the enemy base with machine guns.
The soldiers were already firing machine guns from the vehicles into the trench as William arrived, travelling in the commander’s turret of the third and final warrior vehicle to give him an ‘eagle-eye view’ of the exercise as he arrived.
Standing above the trench, William had the scene explained to him by Major McNeil as gunfire sounded and smoke occasionally blocked the view of the troops.
William was heard saying that he had been speaking to the ‘Challenger Two boys’ and asking questions about the weaponry being used in the demonstration.
White smoke grenades were thrown into the trench to obstruct the enemy’s view, while yellow smoke grenades were used to indicate the frontline position of the allied troops.
A drone was sent up overhead to give the troops a better view of the battle scene.
Following the demonstration, William was given the chance to drive an Archer, a mobile artillery vehicle and one of the ‘next generation’ wheeled artillery systems used by the British army to serve fast-moving ground forces.
It boasts a 155mm 52 calibre gun mounted on the rear, with a range of more than 50km.
A royal aide said earlier that the prince was delighted to be ‘getting his hands dirty’, adding the visit was ‘about the Prince of Wales showing his support to Estonia as it manages its proximity to Russia while hosting NATO troops and welcoming Ukrainian refuges.’
Operation Calbrit is part of the biggest reinforcement of Alliance collective defence and European security in a generation.
The forces train on a weekly basis, ranging from small drills to large scale battle group level exercises.
Russia – which has a 183-mile border with Estonia – has significantly increased its military presence in the region, with aircraft frequently intercepted by NATO Air Policing missions.
The prince is spending the day at Tapa Camp, meeting with Estonian troops before overseeing an official handover ceremony between The Royal Dragoon Guards and the Mercian Regiment.
As well as viewing the range of equipment used by the Mercians and the field training area to see their work in action, the royal spent time with the welfare team.
William asked whether the ‘stigma’ of talking about mental health in the military was being broken down as he was shown around the welfare facilities on offer for British soldiers based in Estonia.
The prince also wanted to know whether soldiers were concerned their careers would be affected if they sought mental health support and revealed that he found soldiers responded better to the term ‘mental fitness’ than mental health.
In a lighter moment, he 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’.
Staff Sergeant Amy-Jane Hale, who is in charge of welfare across Operation Calbrit in Estonia and Poland, welcomed the Prince to the welfare area at Tapa Camp.
The pair sat down together to discuss the emotional and mental health support available to soldiers on the base.
Prince William appeared surprised to learns that Staff Sgt Hale was the one welfare officer on the base.
‘One?’ he said, before asking how many soldiers she looked after.
‘Do you find the potential stigma of coming to talk to you about some of this stuff about breaking down in the military yet or do we still have a bit of a way to go?’ he asked, and was told that things were ‘very positive and moving in the right direction’.
The prince also asked if soldiers could talk to a welfare officer in confidence, without worrying that it would end up in a report and affect their careers.
‘I find that mental fitness seems to work very well with the guys,’ he said.
‘They respond very well to (the term) mental fitness, whereas mental health, they don’t respond quite so well,’ he said.
‘It’s very interesting… mental fitness goes down really strongly in the military.’
The Prince asked Staff Sgt Hale what she would wish for that would allow her to be more effective, if she could ‘wave a magic wand’.
She said another welfare worker would make the job less lonely.
In the cinema room, the Prince asked whether they got to watch the latest films.
Told Bridget Jones was due to arrive soon, he said: ‘Oh that’s pretty good, not bad.’
But when he was informed there was no fridge, he said: ‘You don’t have a fridge? You’re joking?
‘You do need a fridge. I’m definitely getting you a fridge.’
William also chatted to four soldiers who have just arrived in Estonia, asking how they felt about being in their new posting.
‘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 the 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.’
Speaking of his experience travelling in a Challenger 2 tank, he remarked: ‘It packs quite a punch.’
He added: ‘I’ve probably churned up quite a lot of the mud here in the Challenger 2 and the Warrior, I made a bit more of a mess.
‘We were saying it’s quite a useful exercise in itself, just viewing what’s gone on in Ukraine, seeing all the kinds of terrain they’re operating in and understanding the pros and cons of what’s gone on before.
‘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.’
As a member of the EU, Estonia has firmly supported Ukraine since the Russian invasion, both politically and financially.
It has championed a tough approach to sanctions on Russia and was the first country to introduce legislation to seize frozen Russian assets.
Russia has been engaged in a range of hybrid attacks against Estonia for some time: GPS jamming, acts of sabotage, cyber-attacks, and removal of navigational buoys marking the border in the Narva River.
The country is also resoundly ‘pro-British’ and has worked closely with the UK over Ukraine.
Diplomatic sources said William’s visit comes at a ‘crucial time’ in terms of reassuring Estonians of the UK’s commitment to both their security and to Ukraine.
Estonia is said to be fearful that following a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, the latter could re-arm rapidly and threaten Ukraine again, or attack Estonia and other Northern European NATO allies. This makes them value the UK military presence locally even more strongly.
Following the Second World War Estonia spent decades as an unwilling and occupied part of the Soviet Union. Memories of Soviet occupation are still strong – and almost every family suffered in some way.
To Estonians, sources say, Russia’s approach to Ukraine is ‘horribly familiar’.
However its success since regaining its independence in 1991 has been ‘remarkable’: joining the EU, the euro and NATO, and growing a successful economy including a burgeoning tech sector.
The Prince of Wales was met at the NATO base just 125 miles from the Russian border, by UK defence attaché Rob Hall.
Soldiers from the 1st Estonian brigade were introduced to the future king who asked them about the first six months of their training.
Speaking to the 13 soldiers chosen to meet him, William said: ‘It’s great to meet you guys and great to be here.
‘How’s it working with the Brits? You don’t have to say nice things just because I’m here!’
The soldiers told him their experience had been ‘good’ and ‘very successful’.
William replied: ‘I bet you guys are pleased it’s going to be spring soon! It gets quite cold here right?’
One soldier said: ‘Spring started yesterday so we are happier now’.
William said: ‘Yes I got to see some sunshine in Tallinn yesterday, a little bit colder today though. But good to know it’s coming’.
The Prince asked the soldiers about their basic training adding: ‘It’s great to meet and I can’t wait to see the drills today. Very pleased to be here.’
The Prince of Wales said he hoped his visit to Estonia would ‘keep everyone on their toes’ while visiting British troops deployed near Russia today.
William, Colonel-in-Chief of the Mercian Regiment, presided over an official handover ceremony of British troops deployed at Tapa Camp, from the Royal Dragoon Guards, to his regiment, who are based at Tapa just 80 miles from Russia’s border.
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.
With the royal standard flying alongside flags of Nato members, the prince was shown a selection of military vehicles including an Archer, a Challenger 2, a Warrior, a French Griffon, an MLRS and a Trojan, on Tapa’s parade square.
Accompanied on the parade square by the Estonian commander Colonel Tarmo Kundla and Lt Col General Sir Ian Cave, he then spoke to groups of soldiers positioned next to each vehicle.
Speaking to soldiers stationed with the Archer, William asked: ‘How is it to drive? I might have a go later.’ He also asked the group: ‘Is this your first time in Estonia? Well good luck, I hope it all goes really well.’
At the Warrior vehicle, 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.’
Inspecting the French Griffon ‘infantry fighting vehicle’, William spoke to a group of French soldiers who also serve alongside British troops at Tapa. ‘It’s good to have such an international partnership,’ he told them.
William took over the role as Colonel-in-Chief of the Mercians in 2023, previously held by his father. While visiting Tapa, he will also drive a tank and see the Mercians training with an array of weapons.