The Prince of Wales has arrived in Estonia for the start of a two-day visit to bolster ties with Tallinn and show support for UK troops guarding Nato’s border with Russia.
Prince William began his trip on Thursday by sitting down for talks in the capital Tallinn with Estonia’s president, Alar Karis, who has been prominent among those giving military equipment and political support to Ukraine.
William is travelling to Estonia 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 the second day of his visit, the royal will travel to attend a handover ceremony at the Tapa army base, which houses the UK’s largest permanent overseas deployment. There are around 800 British service personnel in total in Estonia.
William will meet both soldiers from his regiment and Estonian troops based at Tapa, where forces are stationed ready to defend Nato’s eastern flank.
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. During a visit to Tapa in March 2022 – just days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – then prime minister Boris Johnson told British troops that their deployment was “fundamental” to Nato’s safety.
Estonia’s defence minister Hanno Pevkur told ITV News on Wednesday: “The reality is we cannot change our neighbour – our neighbour is very hostile towards its neighbours. This is our response to how Russia is acting at the moment.”
William’s 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.
Vladimir Putin’s Russia is seen as a growing threat in the region following its three-year long invasion of Ukraine, and the Baltic states bordering Russia – Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia – appear increasingly concerned by their neighbour.
Following his talks with Mr Karis on Thursday, Prince William will also visit a school founded in May 2022 by the Ministry of Education and Research of Estonia 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 startups.
A Kensington Palace spokesperson said: “This will be an important meeting for the prince to highlight the strong bilateral relationship between the United Kingdom and Estonia.
“The meeting also allows His Royal Highness the opportunity to applaud Estonia’s strong support for Ukraine since the conflict with Russia.
“It is also yet another example of the Prince of Wales representing the United Kingdom at the highest level on the global stage.”
Additional reporting by PA
