‘I’m with Prince William at Russia border – his trip proves one thing about royals’

Prince William’s visit to Estonia in the face of increasing aggression from Russia in its bloody war with Ukrraine proves one very important thing about the monarchy’s role in diplomacy

As war rages in Europe and the Middle East, the power of so called soft-diplomacy cannot be underestimated. In recent weeks the King has sent a letter to US President Donald Trump, with a personal invitation to join him at his Scottish residence, Balmoral, as well as a further offer of an unprecedented second state visit.

Days later the monarch welcomed Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to his Sandringham home in Norfolk, fresh from his bruising encounter at the White House. So too he shared an afternoon with outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who leaves behind a country under threat of a burgeoning US trade war.

Now to Prince William, who today arrived in Estonia to visit the country’s leaders, citizens and British troops living and operating on the NATO front line, just 125 miles from the Russian border.

The concept of the King being accepted as a global peacekeeper and the Prince of Wales as an ever growing statesman in the past may not have been considered much outside the walls of the various palaces they frequent. But in the face of increasing aggression from Russia in its bloody war with Ukraine, we are witnessing the emergence of two figureheads on the world stage who have an incredibly important role to play.

Within an hour of William arriving in the country, Estonian president Alar Karis used the meeting with his high profile guest to appeal directly to the British government not to pull troops out of the country. Estonia’s position as a country which has dark memories of Soviet occupation is ever present and as such its support for Ukraine can be seen everywhere.

Giant blue and yellow flags adorn buildings across the capital Tallinn while smaller ones fly proudly from cars. Locals have welcomed 60,000 Ukrainian refugees in the last three years to a country which holds a population of just 1.3million – equivalent to the UK welcoming three million Ukranians in relative terms. For a country that spent half a century under brutal Soviet rule, the threat from their neighbour is ever present.

William and the Princess of Wales, much like the King and Queen, have already shown their steadfast support for the people of Ukraine. Far from wading into the world of politics, often a tight rope for the sovereign at any stage, Charles has critised the “indescribable aggression” on Ukraine, while praising their “true heroism” for the “tremendous hardship and pain inflicted upon them”.

Charles and William have also committed to assisting in the Middle East where possible, visiting communities on both sides of the divide to harbour peace.

Amid such uncertainty over the war which has entered its fourth year and worries about Russia’s willingness to end the conflict, William’s visit tomorrow to the 900 British troops will be a huge boost. In the wrangling and scrambling world of politicians, there is a place for the royals to be a steady influence on such matters.