Prince William meets Estonian president in present of help amid raised tensions with Russia forward of go to to British troops stationed on the NATO border
Prince William was warmly welcomed by Estonia’s president as he kicked off a two-day trip to show his support for Russia’s neighbour in the face of Putin‘s aggression.
The Prince of Wales was all smiles as he shook hands with Alar Karis at the Presidential Palace Kadriorg.
He arrived at 2.35pm local time and walked up a grand staircase where the president showed him the gardens through the window.
They then smiled and shook hands with each other, before the Prince was directed to sign the guest book with a gold pen – as Mr Karis joked: ‘Hopefully the pen will work.’
William replied, ‘Oh, hopefully’, before explaining: ‘I’m left-handed.’
He sat at an oak table on a navy blue chair that was embroidered with gold flowers and gold stripes. Next to the table were the flags of Estonia and the United Kingdom.
He walked through the oak-panelled Presidential doors and headed into the 100-year-old palace’s Blue Cabinet room to have his meeting.
The pair had tea, coffee and a selection of small sweet treats, as president Mr Karis told him: ‘We did fight for our independence – and later on as well with Afghanistan, and now. With British troops at Tapa we really, we really appreciate it.’
Prince William has arrived in Estonia and met the country’s president Alar Karis
The pair posed for pictures on Thursday in Estonia’s capital Tallinn
Prince William is seen riding in an armoured vehicle while on a training exercise during a visit to the regiment in 2023
Mr Karis also said that ‘we really appreciate having British troops at Tapa Camp in Estonia, adding: ‘This morning the Defence Minister said he’d probably send some troops to Ukraine. Hopefully some of these troops will stay also.’
The ‘warm’ meeting with the president lasted for about 35 minutes, with the prince thanking President Karis for his hospitality and the opportunity to visit Estonia – and he took the opportunity to discuss the strength of the UK-Estonia bilateral relationship.
William also spoke about his visit to the Tapa military base tomorrow and his support for the Mercian regiment while on deployment here as their Colonel in Chief.
Significantly, they also discussed the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and Estonia’s support.
A Kensington Palace spokesperson said today’s get-together was an ‘important meeting for the Prince to highlight the strong bilateral relationship between the United Kingdom and Estonia’.
They added: ‘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.’
William’s arrival today in Estonia – just 125 miles from its border with Russia – marks one of his most high-profile foreign engagements in recent years.
The Prince of Wales is seen during a visit to the Mercian Regiment in 2023. He is set to meet with the regiment later this week during a visit to Estonia
Russia has continued its relentless bombardment of Ukraine, as more than 30 explosions struck Kropyvnytskyi, central Ukraine, earlier this week
The prince, 42, is in the Baltic state for a two-day visit in his role as Colonel-in-Chief of the Mercian Regiment.
His chief aim is to support the regiment in their work bolstering NATO‘s eastern flank as part of Operation Cabrit – and he will also use the trip as an opportunity to not only meet the Estonian president but also highlight his country’s work supporting Ukraine and its people at a perilous time in Europe.
In addition the future King will learn more about Estonia’s efforts in the renewable energy and technology sector, which is particularly significant as it recently disconnected from the Russian-controlled electricity grid.
On arrival at the President’s office, the prince was greeted by a group of young children from Tallinn Lotte Kindergarten.
They presented him with a cuddly dog called Lotte, which is also the name of one of Estonia’s most famous children’s stories – and there was also a card from the children to Prince George, Princes Charlotte and Prince Louis.
The Prince shook hands with the President before the two men went inside to pose for official pictures and sat down for bilateral talks set to last around 45 minutes – and William signed an official guest book while querying the pen he was given.
The visit highlights the heir to the throne’s growing role as an international statesman, after he became the first member of the Royal Family to meet President Trump after his election victory last year.
William was scheduled to spend his first day in the capital Tallinn, meeting President Alar Karis and visiting the Freedom School, which was founded by the Ministry of Education and Research in May 2022 to respond to the invasion by Russia of Ukraine.
Prince William signed a guest book next to Estonia’s president Alar Karis today
The pair met in Estonian’s capital Tallinn at the presidential offices
He was due to meet teachers and students who have fled the country to hear about their experiences and steps to look after their mental wellbeing.
William will also take part in a basketball game and a Ukrainian language lesson.
An estimated 60,000 Ukrainian refugees have found a home in Estonia, which has a population of just 1.3million.
His last engagement of the day will see him visit the Cleantech Association, attending a workshop with a range of renewable energy start-ups.
The visit is particularly significant as some Baltic States – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – recently disconnected from the Russian-controlled electricity grid and joined the main European network.
Tomorrow will see him travel to Tapa Camp, barely 75 miles from Russia, where around 900 British troops are on operational deployment, leading a multinational battlegroup as part of NATO’s Land Forces in Estonia and Poland.
Operation Calbrit, which works alongside multiple NATO allies, is designed to show the strength of the organisation through its united commitment to collective security and defence.
It is part of the biggest reinforcement of Alliance collective defence and European security in a generation.
At one point Prince William queried the pen he was using to sign the guest book
Prince William pictured with troops from the Mercian Regiment who will be stationed in the ready to defend Nato’s eastern flank
The Prince of Wales walks with Lieutenant General Ian Cave during a visit to the regiment in the south west of the UK in 2023
William will also meet with Estonia’s president Alar Karis (pictured) for talks in the capital Tallinn
King Charles III has previously met with President Karis during an audience at Windsor Castle in June 2023
The forces train on a weekly basis, ranging from small drills to large scale battle group level exercises.
A Kensington Palace spokesman said: ‘I’m sure it will have not escaped you that we are currently just over 200km from the Russian border and over 1,500km from Ukraine.
‘Since the war began, many Ukrainian refugees have fled to Estonia and now call the country home. And the Prince will be hearing directly from some of those Ukrainians later today.’
As a member of the EU, Estonia has firmly supported Ukraine since the Russian invasion, both politically and financially.
The visit is particularly significant as some Baltic States – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – recently disconnected from the Russian-controlled electricity grid and joined the main European network.
As well as allowing the country greater energy independence, it also has improved its ability to draw on more renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.
