Kate Middleton commemorated Armed Forces Day with some photos from her visit to a British Army training academy last November.
The royal posted a series of photos of herself in full military garb from that trip to the Army Training Centre Pirbright, located about 30 miles outside of London, on the official Duke and Duchess of Cambridge social media accounts on Saturday to mark the occasion. Armed Forces Day in the UK, formerly known as Veterans’ Day, celebrates everyone who has served in the British military both past and present. In one shot, the Duchess can be seen in full army attire while inspecting a piece of military equipment, while in another she smiles broadly while wearing a helmet and sitting in the turret of a tank. She also shared images of herself meeting and speaking with various officers as the royal spent the day with the 101 Operational Sustainment Brigade at Abingdon Airfield to get the full experience of being a new recruit.
In the caption that accompanied the photos, Kate wrote, “Today on Armed Forces Day, William and I would like to pay tribute to the brave men and women, past and present, serving in all of our armed forces, at sea, on land and in the air, here in the UK and around the world. Thank you for all you and your families sacrifice to keep us safe.” She went on to explain, “Last year, I was honored 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, and I look forward to discovering more about the [Royal Navy] and [Royal Air Force] in due course.”
Several members of the royal family have served in the military, including Kate’s husband Prince William who enlisted in 2005 shortly after completing university. Prince Harry also enlisted that year, retiring from his 10-year career in the British Army in 2015, during which he was deployed to Afghanistan twice as he worked his way up to become an Apache Aircraft Commander. Their grandfather Prince Philip left active military service in 1952 when Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne after having reached the rank of commander, and his son Prince Charles also served in the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy.
Listen to Vanity Fair’s DYNASTY podcast now.
The post Kate Middleton Wears Full Military Gear During Visit to a British Army Training Academy appeared first on Vanity Fair.
