Prince William joins live firing exercise on Salisbury Plain

William became colonel of the Welsh Guards regiment last year and joined soldiers from its 1st Battalion at a live firing exercise.

Drones have become a significant military weapon on the battlefield in the war in Ukraine, used extensively by both sides in the conflict.

The prince appeared to enjoy flying the aircraft, and one of the regiment’s senior drone operators said afterwards that each one cost £7,000.

He said about the prince: “With the drones he was saying what’s happening is reality.”

The Prince of Wales launches a drone (Image: Aaron Chown/PA) The drone operator, who declined to give his name, added: “It’s a new bit of kit brought into a military context.

“Drones have been a thing for years but now we’re utilising them as an asset on the ground and it’s proven successful in current affairs that’s actually happening now.”

William wore camouflage gear and a beret for his visit to Salisbury Plain, and the former Army officer also got to grips with a sniper’s rifle and fired a machine gun.

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The prince crouched down to look through the sights of the machine gun and fire a “full belt” of 200 rounds at a disused tank almost one kilometre away

The machine gun platoon commander, who cast a watchful eye over William added: “He was firing about 800 metres and did well hitting the target.”

The Prince of Wales with a general-purpose machine gun (Image: Aaron Chown/PA) For the past two years the 1st Battalion has been performing ceremonial duties known as the “blue line” and from January 2025 will return to “green soldiering” and spend time on regrowing the regiment’s specialist weapons capabilities.

Soldiers took part in Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral, the King’s coronation and Charles’s first Trooping the Colour ceremony as monarch.

The platoon commander described the royal visit as “very special” adding: “The regiment has a long history with His Majesty the King, formerly the Prince of Wales, and now his royal highness.

“And so this is amazing morale for the guys especially when they’ve been doing a lot of ceremonial duties… and also on a visit like this… they can get hands on with him, show him how it’s done and I think that means a lot to them.”