Watch: Prince William rides in Warrior on Salisbury Plain as he joins attack exercise
The Prince of Wales took a ride inside a Warrior armoured fighting vehicle during an attack exercise on Salisbury Plain.
Prince William threw smoke grenades from the Warrior as he joined the 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment, during a simulated attack on an enemy position.
He was in the gunner position on the infantry fighting vehicle as he took part in the mock assault and was part of a multi-vehicle attack on an enemy stronghold within a wooded area, which culminated in troops assaulting the location.
The exercise formed part of Prince William's first visit to the 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment as their Colonel-in-Chief.
He was appointed to the role by His Majesty The King in August this year, and the visit allowed Prince William to have a firsthand introduction to the regiment.
The Prince was also briefed on the recent work of the regiment and also about a future deployment to Poland next year.
The Prince met groups of service personnel to hear about their different roles and experiences in the regiment.
On the official X, formerly known as Twitter, account of The Prince and Princess of Wales, the meeting was called a "memorable" introduction to the Mercian Regiment.
"A memorable hands-on introduction to the Mercian Regiment as its Colonel-in-Chief. A real education 'in the field' and understanding the work of modern infantry in the British Army," the Kensington Royal account said.
'He felt very excited'
Speaking after the visit had finished, one of the soldiers who took part in the exercise explained what the prince would have been engaged in.
Sergeant Mark Kirton, who was the section commander for the troops taking part in the ground assault on the enemy position, said Prince William was "very excited" by the exercise.
"His Royal Highness was in the gunner seat of the vehicle I was travelling in and he also came to sit on orders with myself," Sergeant Kirton said.
"I gave the lads orders for what was going to happen at each point of the operation.
"He was operating weapons systems on the Warrior, and he was also throwing smoke to create a screen for the troops moving through the wood.
"In his new role as colonel-in-chief of the regiment, he will realise what we do as a unit as we are infantry but also using the vehicles.
"The prince was listening to the orders I was giving as I briefed the lads.
"From what I saw, I think he felt very excited when he saw all the smoke and the bangs going off, so hopefully he enjoyed it," added Sgt Kirton, from Worcester.
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 ten operational tours since its formation, making it one of the most operationally experienced regiments.
They remain ready to engage the enemy in close-quarter combat, Mercians 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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