Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images |
Prince William is set to visit Estonia next week for the first time, to learn about how the NATO alliance is bolstering its eastern flank amid pledges of fresh military spending from European governments and rocky transnational relations with the United States.
The Prince of Wales’ two-day trip to the Baltic state gets underway next Thursday and will see him head to Tapa Army Base, where the UK’s largest permanent overseas deployment is stationed.
Britain has approximately 900 British troops based in Estonia and Poland, working alongside other personnel from France, Estonia and Denmark, according to the British Army.
Estonia, which shares its eastern border with Russia and was once part of the Soviet Union, has been a crucial ally of Ukraine during the war. It joined NATO in 2004, and NATO’s expansion to Russia’s border has long rankled with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who views the alliance as an existential threat.
Just last month, Estonia, along with fellow Baltic nations Latvia and Lithuania, severed its decades-old energy links to Moscow and connected to the European continental power grid, in a move that aligned the countries more closely with the rest of Europe and will boost the Baltic region’s energy security. Concerns over Russia’s threat to the region have continued to grow in the three years since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
William’s trip also comes weeks after European leaders pledged to boost defense investment, potentially by billions of euros, after US President Donald Trump reiterated his criticism of unequal defence spending among NATO members.
“I think it’s common sense. If they don’t pay, I’m not going to defend them,” Trump said earlier this month.
|
Alexander Welscher/picture-alliance/dpa/AP |
On the first day of William’s visit, he’ll meet Estonian President Alar Karis before visiting a school to hear about the experiences of Ukrainian teachers displaced by the conflict with Russia.
The following day, William – who is Colonel-in-Chief of the British Army’s Mercian Regiment – will learn about Operation Cabrit, the name of Britain's contribution to NATO forces in Estonia and Poland.
He’ll head to the Tapa Army Base in the country’s north, where he will meet Estonian troops and the Mercian Regiment, a highly skilled unit specializing in close-quarter combat. He will also visit the base’s field training area and welfare team. Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, visited the same base in January.
While the trip has been in the works for several months, William’s visit feels particularly well-timed. The 42-year-old heir to the British throne has been steadily increasing his footprint as a global statesman through his engagements for some time now. He will be aware that observers will see him choosing to wield some of his soft diplomacy at a crucial moment in the war in Ukraine. Additionally, as a former airman, he’ll be eager to show his support to the British personnel.
Meanwhile, in another sign of royal diplomacy in action, King Charles III welcomed two senior Canadian figures to Buckingham Palace this week – an apparent show of support for America’s neighbor, where Charles remains monarch, as the US-Canada trade spat continues.
Gregory Peters, the Usher of the Black Rod of Canada’s senate, and Raymonde Gagné, the senate’s speaker, were hosted at the palace, where Peters was presented with a ceremonial sword.
And of course, the King also recently met with Volodymyr Zelensky at Sandringham, two days after the Ukrainian leader’s blow-up with Trump in the Oval Office.
It’s well known that generations of British royals have worked hard to keep the bond between the UK and US tight – the so-called “special relationship” – but with global tensions rising, the family appear to be quietly and carefully deploying their influence across new diplomatic lines.
|
|
|
Mark Cuthbert/UK Press/Getty Images |
Did you tune in to hear some of the King’s top tunes? If not, let’s break it down for you…. Spoilers ahead if you plan on listening later. As we mentioned last week, Charles teamed up with Apple Music to curate a 15-track playlist of his favorite songs from across the Commonwealth and beyond – and it’s not what you might expect.
Among the standout choices? Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love,” Bob Marley’s “Could You Be Loved,” and Diana Ross’ disco anthem “Upside Down” – a song the King described as one of his “particular favorites.”
“When I was much younger, it was impossible not to get up and dance when it was played, and I wonder if I can still just manage it,” he said. (We hope he did!)
The royal-approved beats came out on Commonwealth Day, with the King and Princess of Wales returning to Westminster Abbey after a two-year absence to celebrate the organization of 56 nations. Read more in our story here.
|
|
|
Prince William on the sidelines during recent engagement.
|
Don’t worry, it was for good reasons! The Prince of Wales was taken to task this week as he learned the art of refereeing on Tuesday. He became a linesman for a mini football game during a visit to a Football Association (FA) training course. William was visiting Sporting Khalsa FC, in England’s West Midlands, in support of the organization’s “Reflective and Representative” campaign. From learning flag signals to practicing whistle blows, during his visit the prince met with FA representatives, coaches and participants – and even stepped onto the pitch to get a taste of what it’s like to be a referee in football. The initiative aims to recruit 1,000 new referees from Black, Asian and mixed heritage backgrounds.
|
Chris Jackson/Getty Images |
Queen Camilla attends ‘Style Day’ at Cheltenham Festival.
|
Wearing a furry beige hat and long brown coat with two purple flower brooches, Queen Camilla joined her daughter Laura Lopes and Princess Eugenie, the daughter of Prince Andrew, at Cheltenham Festival’s “Style Day” on Wednesday. The showpiece event in the English Cotswolds is often called the Olympics of horse racing. Camilla, who has a passion for racing and even reportedly met King Charles at a polo match in Windsor in 1970, watched the day’s proceedings from the balcony of the Royal Box with friends and other members of the royal family. Later, she presented a trophy to the winner of the Queen Mother Champion Chase, a top race at the festival, named after Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, who died in 2002.
|
Eddie Mulholland/Getty Images |
|
|
Princess Beatrice dazzled at a charity event at the V&A museum in London on Thursday, marking her first public appearance since welcoming her second daughter, Athena, with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
Prince Andrew’s elder daughter was photographed with her husband (left) and David Badcock (right), chief executive of medical charity Borne, at a gala to mark Beatrice’s newly announced patronage of the premature birth research organization.
|
|
|
Meghan’s giving podcasting another go. On Thursday, the Duchess of Sussex revealed her new audio series, “Confessions of a Female Founder.”
“I’ve been having candid conversations with amazing women who have turned dreams into realities,” she explained in a post on social media. “They’re opening up, sharing their tips, tricks (and tumbles), and letting me pick their brains as I build out my own business, As ever.” Meghan announced a new partnership with Lemonada Media in February 2024. Not only did we find out what her new podcast is about, we also won’t have to wait long to listen, with the first episode set to release on April 8.
Meanwhile, the duchess’ glossy Netflix series will return later this year, according to the streamer, despite critical reviews of season one from many in both the UK and the US. Netflix confirmed to CNN that her “With Love, Meghan” had been renewed for a second season. The announcement comes just days after the lifestyle series premiered on the platform.
Despite a quieter debut than “Harry & Meghan” – which broke Netflix documentary records back in 2022 – the streamer has confirmed season two has already wrapped up filming and will premiere this fall. According to statistics from Hollywood entertainment outlet Deadline, the eight-part series reached 12.6 million hours viewed in its first week, compared with “Harry & Meghan” which racked up 81.6 million hours viewed in its first three days alone.
|
|
|
Lady Jane Grey, a teenage pawn in the power struggles that plagued the Tudor court, ruled England for just nine days and was later executed for treason. Now, researchers believe they may have identified the only known portrait of the so-called “Nine Days Queen” painted before her death. The mysterious portrait, on loan to conservation charity English Heritage from a private collection, shows a young woman clad modestly in a white cap and shawl. According to English Heritage, it was acquired by Anthony Grey, 11th Earl of Kent, in 1701, as an image of Lady Jane Grey. It remained “the defining image” of England’s shortest reigning monarch until 21st-century art historians questioned its attribution and rejected its identity. But how did English Heritage settle the debate? Find out here.
|
|
|
"Without fail, wherever WOW gathers, I have met the most extraordinary and impressive women who have, quite simply, refused to take ‘no’ for an answer."
– Queen Camilla
|
Queen Camilla hosted a reception on Tuesday to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Women of the World – also known as WOW – a global movement and festival that champions gender equality around the world. The charity, where Camilla is president, works across six continents to promote the rights of women, girls and non-binary people. In her speech, Camilla said “the task of forging a gender-equal world is a daunting one,” but it is achievable if we work together.
|
|
|
CNN’s Lauren Said-Moorhouse contributed to this newsletter.
|
|
|
|
