Prince William rides in tank on NATO's border with Russia as he gives British troops show of support
21 March 2025, 10:40
Prince William has visited British NATO troops in Estonia and been pictured in a tank.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
William is Colonel-in-Chief of the Mercian Regiment and will meet soldiers from his regiment who are taking over Nato duties in Estonia from the Royal Dragoon Guards.
The future king will take part in a handover ceremony and join troops training in trench warfare during his time at Tapa military base in Estonia.
UK troops lead a battlegroup in Estonia, and the 900 British service personnel in the country are the UK's largest permanent overseas deployment.
Russia is seen as a growing threat in the region following its three-year-long invasion of Ukraine, with the Baltic states - Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia - which border Russian President Vladimir Putin's nation appearing increasingly concerned.
British forces are deployed to Estonia and Poland under Operation Cabrit, the UK's contribution to Nato's Forward Land Forces in the two countries.
During his time at the military base, the prince will also meet Estonian troops and visit the welfare team to learn about the emotional and mental wellbeing support that is available to UK soldiers
William will end his two-day visit to Estonia by meeting Mercian troops and their Nato allies in the informal space of the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes' shop and canteen.
On Thursday, William posed for dozens of pictures with well-wishers in Estonia.
He had earlier spent around 35 minutes in talks with Estonia's President Alar Karis and almost the same amount of time shaking hands, chatting to the public and holding up phones to capture the moment.
Many of the selfies were taken by the future king who seemed to encourage the photos and at one point appeared to drop a phone, but luckily only the owner's extra battery pack slipped from his grasp.
Around 200 people braved bitter conditions in the capital Tallinn to see William after he learnt about the work of a range of renewable energy start-up firms, members of the Cleantech Association, and heard how Estonia and other Baltic states are ushering in a new era of energy security.
Last month, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania asserted their energy independence from Russia by disconnecting from the Russian-controlled electricity grid and joining the European network.
Banker Julius Lwanga, 35, said of William: "I asked for his autograph and he said he wouldn't sign my book but would pose for a selfie.
"I feel overawed I'm going to the pub for a drink."
Jevgenia Hammerberg, 39, from Tallinn, took her young daughter to see the prince and gave him a doll of a classic Estonian children's book character, Sipsik, which the prince said looked similar to the UK cartoon creation Dennis the Menace.
Ms Hammerberg said: "I'm quite a fan of the royal family, I like the traditions and history, not just the dresses of Kate Middleton.
"I think it was an amazing opportunity to meet somebody from the royal family in Estonia - it was really cool."
At one point William was given a basket of food and quipped "no one's ever given me groceries before".
A large group of teenagers with distinctive peaked school caps posed for the largest group selfie, with William holding the phone and asking if everyone was in the shot.
After zigzagging between two rows of well-wishers behind crash barriers William neared the end and began rubbing his hands to keep them warm before finally leaving.
Earlier he was shown a hydrogen-powered drone and solar panels that appeared on a house in the hit Channel 4 show Grand Designs, boosting the manufacturer's sales.
In a question and answer session with members of the Cleantech Association, William, who founded his Earthshot Prize to scale up solutions to repair the planet, said: "My message is keep doing more of the same.
"There is clearly a lot of innovation and a lot of excitement and good brains here trying to tackle these problems."
