Royals arrive in Nepal as young Nepali personnel prepare to join the British Army

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh have arrived in Nepal for a six-day royal tour to celebrate the country's close ties with the UK.

Young Nepali service personnel will be formally joining the British Army during their visit, celebrating the long tradition of collaboration between the two nations.

Edward and Sophie were greeted by President Ram Chandra Paudel and his wife, Sabita Paudel, at the presidential palace in Kathmandu.

• Duke and Duchess head to Nepal for attestation parade and to offer veteran support
• Milestone moment as Gurkha recruits find out which regiments they will join
• Gurkha engineers pass Fit-For-Role inspection ahead of taking up ceremonial duties

The royals will attend the Attestation Parade for new Gurkha recruits at the British Gurkha Camp in the lakeside city of Pokhara.

All Gurkhas are recruited from Nepal, with many thousands of young people attempting selection every year for only a few hundred job opportunities.

They are first trained as infanteers at Catterick and are then allocated to their regiments or corps as part of the Brigade of Gurkhas, often working within other organisations of the Army.

The annual report on the Brigade of Gurkhas was handed to the president by Major General Gerald Strickland, the Colonel Commandant of the military unit.

Meanwhile, the Duke and Duchess will also visit members of the Gurkha Welfare Trust, which offers continued support to veterans and their families.

They will also meet young people taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award, women's rights activists, and people campaigning for a more equal and inclusive society.

Buckingham Palace said: "The visit will celebrate the close ties between the UK and Nepal, and reinforce shared interests including youth opportunity, healthcare, equality for women and girls, and conservation and biodiversity."

Before leaving Kathmandu, the couple will meet organisations providing healthcare and support to survivors of trafficking and gender-based violence.

Previously, the King, then Prince of Wales, visited Nepal in 1998 and the late Queen and Prince Philip also visited Nepal in 1961, when they rode on elephants to watch a tiger shoot arranged by King Mahendra in a jungle near Kathmandu.

The last major royal visit to the country was by the Duke of Sussex. Prince Harry made an official trip in 2016 to mark the bicentenary of the Nepal-UK relationship, four years before he stepped down as a senior working royal.