William joins Mercians in Estonia as they start tour to shore up eastern flank
The Prince of Wales has been meeting British soldiers stationed on Nato's eastern border as part of Operation Cabrit.
Prince William, who was on his first visit to Estonia, spent the day at Tapa Camp, not far from the capital Tallinn – and fewer than 100 miles from the border with Russia.
He met troops from the recently arrived 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment who will be stationed out here for the next six months as part of Operation Cabrit, the UK presence in the region.
While at the base, His Royal Highness was treated to a field demonstration of trench warfare tactics, giving him a flavour of the training exercises the battalion will carry out during its time here.
He also enjoyed a hands-on tour of armoured vehicles and the equipment the soldiers will be working with in Estonia.
After spending time chatting with serving personnel, Prince William was driven onto the training area in a Challenger 2 tank.
He also got a ride in a Warrior infantry fighting vehicle.
The heir to the throne also had the opportunity to drive an Archer – the Army's new long-range mobile artillery weapons system, a successor to the old AS90 self-propelled gun.
In the final part of his visit, as a strong advocate for mental health support, the Prince chatted to troops in a more relaxed setting.
He heard how they manage their six-month deployments away from home, and learned more about the welfare support available to them.
A Kensington Palace spokesperson said the wider aims of the visit were to offer support for The Mercian Regiment as it embarks on Nato exercises and reinforce the UK's support for Nato, as well as show his ongoing support for Ukraine.
Operation Cabrit has been running for the past eight years and sees UK battlegroups of around 900 troops carry out six-month tours at Tapa Camp.
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