Prince Arming
Prince William takes a ride in a tank as he visits troops in Estonia just miles from Russian border
Watch the video to see Wills in action on a Challenger 2 tank
PRINCE William stormed through a military base in tanks and artillery vehicles today in a show of strength against Russia right on Putin's doorstep.
The Prince of Wales also observed field training in the trenches with soldiers firing blanks and throwing white smoke grenades to obscure enemy view.
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And he even played a “Blues vs Villa” game of table football against a Birmingham City fan.
He arrived at Tapa Camp in Estonia, some 80 miles from Russia’s border, this morning to wish luck to troops in the Mercian Regiment, which he is colonel-in-chief of.
They are taking over from the Royal Dragoon Guards for a six-month deployment at the base, geared towards strengthening Nato's eastern flank.
The Prince wore his camouflage and, after a handover ceremony, was driven round a muddy track from a handover ceremony in a British-made Challenger 2 tank.
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The monster machines have been blasting Russian invaders in Ukraine with a devastating 120mm main gun.
And dozens of the world-beating tanks have been sent from Britain to the continent in preparation for war with Russia.
Prince William rode in the 64-ton machine in the commander’s turret, before getting out and jumping off the tank into the mud to be briefed about a field training exercise.
He then got into a Warrior infantry fighting vehicle which took him to the trenches in ice-cold temperatures of around three degrees.
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The prince’s vehicle was the last of three to arrive at the scene where soldiers from the Mercian Regiment were undertaking an exercise to spot and break into an enemy trench before capturing “high-value target” enemy troops.
As the first two Warrior vehicles arrived on the scene after spotting the trench, they opened fire on the enemy base with machine guns.
The first soldiers were already firing machine guns from the vehicles into the trench as William arrived, travelling in the commander’s turret of the third and final warrior vehicle to give him an “eagle-eye view” of the exercise as he arrived.
Standing above the trench, William had the scene explained to him by Major McNeil as gunfire sounded and smoke occasionally blocked the view of the troops.
William was heard saying that he had been speaking to the “Challenger Two boys” and asking questions about the weaponry being used in the demonstration.
White smoke grenades were thrown into the trench to obstruct the enemy’s view, while yellow smoke grenades were used to indicate the frontline position of the allied troops.
A drone was sent up overhead to give the troops a better view of the battle scene.
Following the demonstration, William was given the chance to drive an Archer, a mobile artillery vehicle.
was the second of the Prince’s two-day visit in Estonia, which aims to highlight Britain’s commitment to NATO’s eastern flank and to show support to the Baltic state and to Ukraine.
The trip has been in the planning for more than six months, but has fallen by chance at a time when Estonian anxiety has risen dramatically over Russia’s military aims.
British troops have been stationed in Estonia since 2016 under Operation Cabrit, which is Britain’s contribution to Nato’s Forward Land Forces.
On Thursday, President Alar Karis told him that he hoped British troops would stay in Estonia, amidst military talks around putting boots on the ground in Ukraine to uphold a peace deal.
And Prince William relayed that to troops yesterday, telling them: "The President was saying to me yesterday how important it is that you guys are here.
"It goes to the top of Estonian society."
Yesterday’s military visit began when defence attache Rob Hall met him upon arriving at the Nato base.
William, Colonel-in-Chief of the Mercian Regiment, then presided over an official handover ceremony from the Royal Dragoon Guards to his regiment.
With the royal standard flying alongside flags of Nato members, the prince was shown a selection of military vehicles including an Archer, a Challenger 2, a Warrior, a French Griffon, an MLRS and a Trojan, on Tapa’s parade square.
Accompanied on the parade square by the Estonian commander Colonel Tarmo Kundla and Lt Col General Sir Ian Cave, he then spoke to groups of soldiers positioned next to each vehicle.
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Speaking to soldiers stationed with the Archer, William asked: “How is it to drive?
“I might have a go later.”
He also asked the group: “Is this your first time in Estonia?
“Well good luck, I hope it all goes really well.”
At the Warrior vehicle, after asking the soldiers about their upcoming operational exercises, he said of his visit to the base: “Hopefully this provides a bit of interest for you all and what you’re doing and keeps everyone on their toes.”
Inspecting the French Griffon “infantry fighting vehicle”, William spoke to a group of French soldiers who also serve alongside British troops at Tapa.
“It’s good to have such an international partnership,” he told them.
Prince William also played pool in the base canteen and was challenged to a Blues v Villa table football match by Birmingham City fan Company Sergeant Major WO2 Daniel Hutton.
“This is a big match,” joked William. “One of us can never live this down, you know that. I fear it’s me.”
But the Prince’s side was first to score and he joked that the game was over now he had won.
William also briefly joined a game of pool as he chatted to soldiers on a six-month deployment to the Camp.
He asked soldiers about the Camp’s facilities and seemed particularly taken by the fact that they include a sauna.
“That’s a new thing on me, the sauna,” he said, referring to the fact that they are not usually found on military bases in the UK.
“I now have an image of you all in the sauna. Lots of sweaty soldiers is not one to think about. Make sure there are no hydration issues from spending too long in the sauna.”
Elsewhere, he discussed mental health in the military and promised to supply a fridge after hearing one was lacking.
William took over the role as Colonel-in-Chief of the Mercians in 2023, previously held by his father.
William’s visit to Tapa was intended to highlight the role of British troops in Operation Cabrit, which involves around 900 soldiers stationed as part of Nato’s defence of the eastern flank.
Operation Cabrit is the UK’s biggest international operational deployment.
Yesterday, the Prince was given yellow and blue armbands by Ukrainian refugee children he met in Estonia
He even joined in with classes and a game of basketball at the Freedom School - a school set up for refugee children.
He said that the people he met were “very strong, very smiley and very spiritual people” with “good souls”.
William's visit comes just as tensions between Russia and Europe deepen.
The EU has announced a landmark spending plan to boost defence, worth up to $867 billion, as Keir Starmer pours money into the UK army.
The Prime Minister announced in February 2025 that an extra £13 billion a year would be spent on defence from 2027.
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Speaking about his decision, Keir Starmer said: “Unless Ukraine is properly protected from Putin then Europe will only become more unstable — and that will hurt us even more.
"So today I have announced the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War.
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