The Prince of Wales shed his normal attire for army combats today, as he joined the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards on Salisbury Plain.
Since December 2022, Prince William has served as Colonel of the regiment, a title he inherited from his father, who held the position for 47 years. Other Royal Colonels include Prince Philip, and Edward VIII while Prince of Wales.
The Prince of Wales met personnel from the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards. (Picture by Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace)
William arrived via helicopter for a visit designed to see how the officers have been dealing with the recent transition to field duties, and to see how they are regrowing their specialist weapons capabilities to bolster their work at home and overseas.
The Prince donned protective gear as he joined soldiers in live-firing exercises, both observing and participating. William used an Accuracy International L11583 .338 calibre rifle to hit a steel body target 500 meters away. He told members of the sniper team afterwards that he ‘really enjoyed that’. He went on to join another group firing 7.62m General Purpose Machine Guns.
It wasn’t all guns however, as The Prince also go to fly one the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards’ new drones. ‘I bet there’s a lot of paperwork on this’ he joked as he took the controls. He also spoke with the soldiers about their lives and families, wondering if the men got enough time off to spend with their families.
According to the drone operator, the machines William tested cost around £7,000 each and represent a significant technological advance for the regiment. “Drones have been a thing for years, but now we’re utilising them as an asset on the ground, and it’s proven successful in current operations,” the operator explained.
The Prince of Wales got stuck in with the drones during his visit to the Welsh Guards. (Picture by Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace)
The Battalion has, in recent years, been very busy. In the past two years, they have led the funeral of Elizabeth II in 2022, the Coronation of The King and Queen, and Charles’ first Trooping the Colour as Monarch in 2023. William acknowledged this, jokingly telling them; ‘It’s been fairly busy this year. You’ve only got a few more days. It’s not long I’m going to make sure my father doesn’t squeeze in too many more moments!’
In addition to their ceremonial duties, the Welsh Guards have been deployed on overseas operations in the Falkland Islands, the South Atlantic, and Oman.
The prince fired a “full belt” of 200 machine gun rounds at a disused tank. (Picture by Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace)
Reflecting on the Prince’s visit, the platoon commander described it as “very special,” adding, “The regiment has a long history with His Majesty The King, formerly the Prince of Wales, and now His Royal Highness. This visit is amazing for morale, especially after all the ceremonial duties. It’s meaningful for the soldiers to engage with him and show him what they do—it really matters to them.”
Despite the upgrade in technology for the Welsh Guards, today’s activities are nothing new to The Prince. He completed his training at Sandhurst and was commissioned as a British Army officer in December 2006, and would have carried out many drills like today’s and would now how to handle the weapons from his past training. So you could say it was a return to the old before the New Year.
