Prince William brings holiday spirit as he joins Mercian Regiment for families event
The Prince of Wales, Colonel-in-Chief of the 1st Battalion Mercian Regiment, has made a special visit to Picton Barracks for a Christmas event for families.
This was the first visit to the regiment since 2023 for Prince William after he joined them on Salisbury Plain to see first-hand the armoured infantry work the regiment carries out.
He was appointed to the colonel-in-chief role by the King in August last year.
On the Prince's arrival, he was warmly greeted by the Mercian regimental mascot, a Swaledale Ram.
Known as 'Private (or other rank) Derby' he is held on the official strength of the regiment.
The soldiers Prince William met at the event were from different ranks across the battalion and had gone above and beyond in their roles through charity fundraising, volunteering and helping with extracurricular activities.
Following this, Prince William helped to hand out gifts to the children of the families and then listened to songs from a Fijian choir formed of soldiers from the Mercian Regiment.
On X, the official Kensington Royal account said: "Joining a wonderful Christmas lunch and festive activities with the Mercian Regiment and their families.
"(And the Regimental Mascot too, of course!)"
Mercian Regiment
Composed of one regular and one reserve battalion, the Mercian Regiment utilises the "devastating power and speed of the armoured role to fearsome effect on exercise and operations", the Army says.
Created in 2007, the regiment provides the fighting element of the British Armed Forces and consists of service personnel recruited from the five counties that formed the ancient kingdom of Mercia: Cheshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire and Worcestershire.
The Mercian Regiment has been deployed on more than 10 operational tours since its formation, making it one of the most operationally experienced regiments.
Mercians remain ready to engage the enemy in close-quarter combat and are highly skilled with sophisticated weapon systems ranging from the SA80 A2 rifle to the Warrior armoured infantry fighting vehicle with its 30mm cannon.
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