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The Prince of Wales has paid tribute to those who ‘made the ultimate sacrifice’ as he visited a war memorial during a visit to Poland.
On the second day of his surprise visit to the country, Prince William, 40, today laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw, a monument dedicated to Polish soldiers who have died in conflict.
The prince’s visit was a poignant echo of that by his late grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, who laid a wreath at the Tomb during their state visit to Poland in 1996.
The prince, who arrived in a dark suit amid tight security, was greeted by dignitaries and a guard of honour which was made up of members of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
Prince William, 40, was sombre today as he laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during a visit to Poland
On the second day of his visit today, he arrived in Warsaw where he visited the tomb, which is dedicated to Polish soldiers who lost their lives in conflict
The Prince of Wales, 40, is currently undertaking his first visit to Poland since going to the country with his wife Kate in 2017
Military drumming and a moving trumpet refrain to honour the fallen accompanied the prince’s solemn walk to the monument, where he spent around 10 minutes before leaving.
He laid a wreath at the tomb, which bore the message ‘In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice’ and was signed with his name.
The future King also signed his name in a visitor’s book, which had a similar printed message in Polish that read: ‘To commemorate those who have made the ultimate sacrifice’.
A small group of local people gathered to watch the prince’s visit, with some waving and cheering as he left the scene.
The prince will later visit the Hala Koszyki food hall to hear from those who have fled Ukraine after Putin’s brutal invasion last year.
He went on to meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda at the Presidential Palace.
Prince William has said the two-day trip will allow him to personally thank troops and ‘underline’ his support and gratitude for the Polish people who have aided Ukrainian refugees.
It came after he thanked British troops roughly an hour’s drive from the Ukrainian border for ‘defending our freedoms’ by ‘keeping an eye on’ the situation in Ukraine.
The Prince of Wales went on to meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda at the Presidential Palace
Prince William has said the two-day trip will allow him to personally thank troops and ‘underline’ his support and gratitude for the Polish people who have aided Ukrainian refugees
After arriving at the defence military base in the south-eastern Polish city of Rzeszow yesterday afternoon, the prince, dressed casually in a black puffer jacket and trousers, was shown a missile launcher.
Speaking to the soldiers, he said: ‘I just wanted to come here in person to say thank you for all that you’re doing, keeping everyone safe out here and keeping an eye on what’s going on.
‘So, just a big thank you for what you do on a day-to-day basis.’
He added: ‘You’re doing a really important job out here and defending our freedoms is really important, and everyone back home thoroughly supports you.’
Earlier yesterday, the prince visited the Poland’s 3rd Brigade Territorial Defence Force at a military base in Rzeszow.
He was greeted by Poland’s defence minister and deputy prime minister Mariusz Blaszczak and met British and Polish troops to hear about their work supporting Ukraine and was shown an impressive display of military equipment.
It is his first trip to Poland since he visited in 2017 with his wife, the Princess of Wales.
British forces are training Polish counterparts bolstering defences after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Troops have been training Poles in air defence for almost a year.
The royal appeared deep in thought as he met with officials before taking part in a wreath laying ceremony
The royal, dressed in a smart navy suit, appeared deep in thought as he laid the wreath at the tomb
Prince William went on to sign a document while he was visiting the tomb earlier today
It comes after he yesterday visited Rzeszow, which sources said was ‘a personal mission’ to ‘recognise the duty’ of service personnel largely consisting of the Royal Artillery Regiment
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