Prince William fires shots during training exercise with Welsh Guards
The Prince of Wales has dressed in combat uniform and a beret to join the Welsh Guards for live firing training.
Prince William was there to see how the 1st Battalion soldiers are preparing for duty in the Field Army, joining the group on Salisbury Plain.
The prince is Colonel of the Welsh Guard and was expected to just watch the exercise but chose to take part instead.
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The Prince of Wales, Colonel of the Welsh Guards, visited the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards for a training exercise on Tuesday. Getty
He was seen sitting down to fire a .338 sniper and lying on his front to use a 7.62 GPMG machine gun.
William later was shown other weapons, including Small Uncrewed Aerial Systems drones.
The battalion are now transitioning back to the Field Army, with service personnel being given a refresher on how to use different weapon systems.
The prince was able to fire a sniper rifle as part of the training exercise. Getty
The Welsh Guards are transitioning from a two-year ceremonial deployment. Getty
For the past two years, the Welsh Guards has led a number of historical ceremonial events including the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II, the coronation of King Charles III and Trooping the Colour in 2023.
It has also carried out overseas operations in the Falkland Islands and Oman.
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Prince William joked that he would "make sure" the King didn't "squeeze in" any more ceremonies requiring the service of the battalion, so that they could get back out into the field now their two-year ceremonial deployment was coming to an end.
After lining up his sniper rifle and firing a shot, the Prince said: "I really enjoyed that. I see you guys have got a lot of great things coming up, that's good".
The prince was able to use his prior military training during the visit to Salisbury Plain. Getty
Prince William was said to have been aiming at a steel body target around 500 metres away and hit it.
"He fired a few rounds and hit. I heard the ping," the platoon commander said.
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Prince William has military training – he joined Sandhurst after graduating university in 2005 for a 44-week course as an Officer Cadet.
Prince William took over as Colonel of the Welsh Guards in 2022 from his father. AP
In December 2006, William was commissioned as a British Army and joined the Household Cavalry, Blues and Royals as a second lieutenant and was promoted to lieutenant a year later.
William served in the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy in 2008, including training in piloting helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, shore training and navigation.
The Prince then worked for several years as a search and rescue pilot at RAF Valley in Anglesey and later with the East Anglian Air Ambulance.
In December 2022, William became colonel of the Welsh Guards, taking over a position his father had held since 1975.
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