Prince William has just returned from an important trip to Estonia where he visited British troops on NATO’s frontline with Russia – and royal expert Jennie Bond has revealed why he is so adept at dealing with sensitive situations
Since becoming Prince of Wales, Prince William has seemed keen to carve out a role as a global statesman. And his trip to the Russia border to visit troops providing a deterrent to Russian aggression has been one of many sensitive overseas visits.
Not only did the heir to the throne ride in a tank close to the border and take part in a training exercise with British and Estonia forces, but he also held talks with the Baltic state’s president Alar Karis to bolster the UK’s ties with the nation. During the meeting, William heard the leader’s plea for some UK troops to remain in the Baltic state after the statesman suggested they may be redeployed as peacekeepers in Ukraine.
And for royal expert Jennie Bond, William’s emerging role is no coincidence, especially given his family’s experience. The former BBC royal correspondent, who has previously met the prince, told the Mirror: “William has had a solid grounding in diplomacy having watched both his grandmother and his father tread some delicate paths on the world scene. He has already shown himself well able to handle sensitive situations: he visited the West Bank seven years ago where he expressed his hopes for a lasting peace in the region.
“Last December, the Prince was despatched to Paris on another tricky mission: to meet incoming President Trump. The meeting was a roaring success: Trump seemed to take to William and declared that he was a ‘good looking guy’. So this visit to Estonia was another exercise in the soft power of the monarchy, which is proving increasingly vital in these turbulent times.”
Of course, William is a former army officer who trained at Sandhurst military academy and joined the Household Cavalry’s Blues and Royals before training as an RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot. However, it is his estranged younger brother Prince Harry, who also served in the Army, who completed two tours of duty in Afghanistan. Now he and wife Meghan have quit the UK, they no longer carry out these sorts of royal duties.
And Jennie explained: “If Harry was still a working royal, I’m sure that he would also have been deployed on trips like this— although the seniority that William commands carries a great deal of weight, which is not lost on world leaders.
“I think Harry is now perfectly happy with the life that he has and the place he calls home. So I don’t think he hankers after any particular royal role.” At the end of William’s two-day trip to Estonia yesterday, he rode in a Challenge 2 tank defending Estonia against Russian aggression after telling British troops he hoped his visit would “keep everyone on their toes”.
William, wearing a camouflage military uniform, goggles and a helmet, travelled in the commander’s turret of the tank as it sped across muddy terrain in Estonia less than 100 miles from the border with Russia. He made a two-day trip to Estonia to strengthen UK ties with its Nato ally and support British forces stationed in the country as part of Britain’s Nato contribution.
The prince visited Tapa army base in northern Estonia in his role as Colonel-in-Chief of the Mercian Regiment, whose 1st Battalion took over Nato duties in Estonia from The Royal Dragoon Guards. UK troops lead a battlegroup in Estonia and the 900 British service personnel in the country is the UK’s largest permanent overseas deployment.
Russia is seen as a growing threat in the region following its three-year invasion of Ukraine, and the Baltic states – Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia – which border Russian President Vladimir Putin ’s nation appear 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.