Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester, in her role as the Royal Bermuda Regiment’s Colonel-in-Chief, called on Bermuda’s soldiers during their annual overseas camp for Exercise Active Shield 26 at Lydd Camp, in Kent, England.

Accompanied by Andrew Murdoch, the Governor, the Duchess was briefed by Lieutenant-Colonel Duncan Simons, the Commanding Officer of the RBR, on the deployment of 120 troops.

Colonel Simons detailed the weeklong public order training in Lydd Camp, and the subsequent further military training at Catterick.

The Duchess also met with a contingent from the Bermuda Police Service, headed by Chief Superintendent Na’imah Astwood, who were observing the RBR training in preparation for joint training exercises.

After being shown the special equipment being used for public order drills, she observed the final phase of the training involving multiple incidents involving a serious breakdown in public order.

Mr Murdoch, the RBR’s Commander-in-Chief, said: “It’s always a pleasure to host our Colonel-in-Chief who remains keenly interested in the regiment’s activities.

“She recognised soldiers from her time in Bermuda last year to celebrate the 60th anniversary, and made a special effort to thank those who deployed to Jamaica in February to conduct humanitarian assistance operations.

“Her Royal Highness also met members from the British Army’s Royal Lancers, who were hosting the RBR throughout their overseas camp — 44 members of the Lancers convincingly played the riotous civilian population.

“They very much embraced their role, including using some unquotable language to accompany projectiles and petrol bombs. HRH seemed very impressed by the performance of the regiment in very testing conditions.”

He added: “It was especially fitting that our Colonel-in-Chief visited the regiment in Lydd during this year’s annual camp, as it was there in 2007 that she first visited the regiment. Her return so soon after her visit to Bermuda last October was a privilege for us all and allowed her to reconnect with many familiar faces.

“The visit also provided an important opportunity to further demonstrate the Regiment’s roles and capabilities, and to highlight our close co-operation with the Bermuda Police Service and the Cayman Islands Regiment.”

During the UK trip, the Governor was accompanied by Colonel Simons, and Major Tom Wood, the Second-in-Command, to meet the UK Minister of the Armed Forces, Al Carns.

The Governor had requested the meeting to discuss UK Ministry of Defence support for the RBR, including access to specialist training, procurement of equipment and other ways to strengthen the relationship with the UK armed forces.