A series of pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge has been released to mark Armed Forces Day, in recognition of the UK men and women who make up the military community.
They show the Kate during her visit to Pirbright Training Academy in November last year where she spent time with the 101 Operational Sustainment Brigade at Abingdon Airfield, Oxfordshire.
The newly released images show the duchess as she participated in some of the training exercises and spent time speaking to personnel about their experiences in the British Army.
The images were posted on Kensington Palace’s social media feeds, together with a tribute from Kate to the UK’s military personnel.
She said: “Last year, I was honoured to spend time with the @BritishArmy to see how they train serving personnel and new recruits. It was wonderful to see first-hand the many important and varied roles the military play day in, day out to protect us all…
“Today on #ArmedForcesDay, William and I would like to pay tribute to the brave men and women, past & present, serving in all of our armed forces, at sea, on land & in the air, here in the UK and around the world.
“Thank you for all you and your families sacrifice to keep us safe and I look forward to discovering more about the @RoyalNavy & @RoyalAirForce in due course.”
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The images are reminiscent of those released when William‘s mother Princess Diana paid a visit to the Royal Hussars as they trained on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire in 1988.
The extent of her involvement with the forces was subsequently eclipsed by that of her sons, both of whom carried out multiple terms of service with the Army, and in William’s case the RAF.
It came as the day was widely celebrated around the country, with a large number of events and other highlights
Events happening around the UK
In central London, the iconic billboards of Piccadilly Circus were taken over to broadcast messages of thanks from the nation.
At the Tower of London, the Yeoman Warders, or Beefeaters as they are also known, many of whom are former military personnel, performed a salute.
A national event is this year being held in the Yorkshire resort town of Scarborough, where military parades, numerous musical performances, aerial flypasts were among the events taking place.
The Red Arrows and RAF Typhoons will be among the displays on show.
More than 140 other events were registered as taking place across the UK on the Armed Forces Day website.
The Chief of the General Staff General Sir Patrick Sanders said in a tweet: “From all the #BritishArmy, on #ArmedForcesDay, I want to say thank you to the military families, communities, veterans’ organisations, businesses and charities that support our people. You are vital to the fighting spirit and wellbeing of our Army. We couldn’t do it without you.”
