Kensington Palace has released five new photographs of the Duchess of Cambridge during a visit to a training base to mark Armed Forces Day.
Celebrated on 25 June, the annual event commemorates the service of men and women who make up the British Armed Forces.
The photographs, taken in November 2021, show Kate Middleton during a visit to the Pirbright Training Academy in Surrey, where she learned first-hand how new recruits are trained.
She also spent time with the 101 Operational Sustainment Brigade at Abingdon Airfield, participating in some of the training exercises and speaking to personnel about their experiences in the British Army.
One photograph shows the Duchess grinning at the camera while sporting a helmet.
Another shows her wearing leather gloves and a military jacket as she tends to some equipment.
Sharing the images on Instagram, Kate wrote in a heartfelt message: “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.”
She continued: “Thank you for all you and your families sacrifice to keep us safe.
“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, and I look forward to discovering more about the @RoyalNavy and @RoyalAirForceUK in due course.”
Earlier this week, the first official joint portrait of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, by award-winning artist Jamie Coreth, was unveiled.
The painting, which was commissioned in 2021 by the Cambridgeshire Royal Portrait Fund, sees the Duchess dressed in an emerald Falconetti dress by The Vampire’s Wife while Prince William looks smart in a suit.
Kate also donned the Queen’s Duchess of Cambridge brooch for the first time, adding a matching pearl bracelet and pearl earrings.
