Prince William has begun a two-day visit to Estonia where he will meet British troops on NATO’s front line with Russia. The Prince of Wales started the visit to the Baltic state, which borders Russia, by meeting the country’s president Alar Karis.
The two men sat down for talks in the capital Tallinn. William is making the visit predominantly in his role as Colonel-in-Chief of the Mercian Regiment, which is taking over Nato defence duties in the country from the Royal Dragoon Guards. On arrival at the Presidentâs office today, the Prince was greeted by a group of young children from Tallinn Lotte Kindergarten.
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They presented him with a cuddly dog called Lotte, which is a character in one of Estoniaâs most famous childrenâs stories, as well as a card for his three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. After showing William the garden, the president then asked him to sign the guest book. William joked that he hoped he had pen that works, in a playful dig at his father King Charles who was once caught on camera getting frustrated over a leaky pen.
Estonia is on NATO’s front line with Russia, with British troops working with allies to provide a deterrent to aggression in the region. William’s trip is made predominantly in his role as Colonel-in-Chief of the Mercian Regiment which is taking over Nato defence duties in the country from the Royal Dragoon Guards.
The country’s defence minster Hanno Pevkur told ITV News: “The reality is we cannot change our neighbour â our neighbour is very hostile towards its neighbours, this is our response to how Russia is acting at the moment.”
Tomorrow, William will travel to Tapa Army Base where British forces are stationed ready to defend Natoâs eastern flank and meet soldiers from his regiment and Estonian troops. The British forces at Tapa are the UKâs largest permanent overseas deployment and there are around 800 UK service personnel in total in Estonia.
Williamâs visit comes as Europe’s major nations including the UK prepare to step up spending on their armed forces in response to the changing world order ushered in by US President Donald Trump.
Russia is seen as a growing threat in the region following its three-year long invasion of Ukraine, and the Baltic states â Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia â which border Russian President Vladimir Putin’s nation appear increasingly concerned. President Karis has been prominent among those giving military equipment and political support to Ukraine. Later on Thursday the prince will also visit a school founded by the Ministry of Education and Research of Estonia in May 2022 to respond to the war in Ukraine.
He will meet teachers from Ukraine to hear about their experiences at the school, and how they have helped students settle in Tallinn and looked after their mental wellbeing. The prince founded his Earthshot Prize to help recognise and scale-up solutions to repair the planet, and he will also attend an event to learn about renewable energy start-ups.
The trip will be a solo one for William, who will be travelling to Estonia without wife the Princess of Wales, who is continuing her gradual return to duties following her cancer treatment.
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