Russia trolls Prince William after Poland trip to thank UK troops for 'defending freedom'

The Prince of Wales was mocked by the Kremlin after visiting British troops in Poland.

William was on a surprise visit to Rzeszow, just miles from the Ukraine border, where he thanked soldiers for "defending our freedom".

But the visit which was heavily flanked by security teams was ridiculed by Maria Vladimirovna Zakharova, Russia's Director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who belittled his title referring to him as "son of Charles".

The salty response also referenced supplies of uranium tank shells to Ukraine.

"I wonder if William Charles-ovich brought depleted uranium ammunition for his troops," Zakharova said.

The 40-year-old brushed off Russia's bitterness, however, meeting with Royal Artillery soldiers and refugees near the frontline of Russia's war on Ukraine.

Maria Zakharova referred to the prince as 'son of Charles' in a speech which appeared to mock his visit (Alexander Nemenov/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

"This afternoon I travelled to Poland to meet British and Polish troops, where I heard about their extraordinary work in support of Ukraine," William tweeted from the official Kensington Royal Twitter account.

"My message to them on behalf of all of us, thank you!"

The Firm broke convention last year when they made a rare expression of support for Ukraine, despite being typically tight-lipped on matters of international politics and war.

King Charles has also been a vocal supporter of Ukraine in the war.

A royal source speaking to the MailOnline described Prince William's trip as a "personal mission" to recognise the duty of service personnel.

Prince William pictured in Warsaw earlier this week on a trip to Poland for which he was mocked by the Kremlin (Getty Images)

During the tour, he was also shown a Sky Sabre system, a ground-based surface-to-air missile used to repel Russian attacks, and delivered a speech thanking troops for "everything you're doing".

Prince William was greeted by Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence, Mariusz Blaszczak, on Tuesday's trip, before speaking with troops then going on to an accommodation centre currently housing Ukrainian refugees.

On Wednesday, the royal visited Warsaw meeting with President Duda, before laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - a monument dedicated to Polish soldiers who lost their lives in conflict.

The tour was William's first trip to Poland in six years since he last visited with Kate in 2017.