Prince William travelled to Wiltshire today to meet troops from 1 Mercian Regiment, using his role as Colonel-in-Chief to focus on the perspectives of women serving in the Army.
Dressed in military fatigues, he took part in a roundtable with a female soldiers’ network and listened to their accounts of serving life and frontline duties.
Women currently make up around 12% of the UK Regular Forces, and the Army has set a target to lift that share to roughly 30% by 2030.
During the visit the prince presented three long-service and good-conduct medals, then watched urban training exercises at the regiment’s specialist facility.
He also tried out drone technology designed for urban operations, even taking control of a device used to support a section in training.
A more informal stop at a coffee morning allowed him to speak with officers, soldiers and families from B Company and to hear about their recent deployment to Estonia.
The Mercian Regiment remains a key element of the Army’s frontline combat capability, preparing for high-intensity close-quarters fighting and operating equipment such as the SA80 A3 rifle and the Warrior armoured infantry fighting vehicle with its 30mm cannon.
Formed on 1 September 2007 and traditionally recruiting from the counties of the old kingdom of Mercia, the battalion—often dubbed the Heart of England’s Infantry—has completed more than fifteen operational tours and is among the Army’s most experienced units.
