Camouflage Kate drives armoured vehicle with machine gun at Queen’s Dragoon Guards
The Princess of Wales swapped formal clothes for military combat gear as she took the wheel of a seven-tonne armoured vehicle equipped with a machine gun on her first visit to the Queen’s Dragoon Guards.
Camouflaged from head to waist, helmet included, Kate was described as “a natural” as she drove the Jackal 2 vehicle around the barracks in Dereham, Norfolk.
The 41-year-old said it was “really great” after bringing it to a stop adding: “It’s very responsive actually, given the size of the thing.”
Corporal Darreyl Tukana, a driving instructor, sat beside Kate as she took control of the vehicle that can reach speeds of 70mph.
Kate donned military gear
Afterwards, he said: “She was a natural. She drives a Land Rover back at home – I told her it’s exactly the same, just take it slowly and go back to where we started off from.”
Corporal Tukana added that he did not have to teach her much saying: “I told her it’s just like a normal car.”
Kate was shown weapons in a troop hide and handled a drone during her visit as Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment – an appointment she received from the King in August.
She was also presented with the Queen’s Dragoon Guards brooch, which was made in 1959 for the Queen Mother, who also served as Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment.
She awarded Medals for Long Service and Good Conduct and took a moment to remember soldiers lost in active service ahead of Remembrance Sunday.
The Princess of Wales presented the Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct
Kate took a moment to remember the fallen soldiers
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And Kate promoted the regimental mascot, a Bay Welsh Mountain pony called Trooper “Longface” Emrys Jones, from Lance Corporal to Corporal.
Kate Ormston, whose husband Paul is attached to the regiment, spoke to the princess.
“She asked about army life and my husband being deployed, and she was just really down to earth and friendly, it was really nice.
“She’s done it herself, hasn’t she, William’s been in the military so she knows what it’s like,” she said.
The Queen’s Dragoon Guards has been active for more than 300 years.
Specialising in reconnaissance, its soldiers have previously been deployed in Mali, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
The FA has launched an investigation into allegations that suspended Premier League referee David Coote discussed giving a yellow card ahead of a match.
Mr Coote booked Leeds player Ezgjan Alioski during a match against West Brom in October 2019.
The Sun claims that the day before, he discussed carding the player with a Leeds fan he had met online, then after the game messaged him saying: “I hope you backed as discussed.”
Mr Coote insists nothing improper took place.
He said in a statement: “I strongly refute these false and defamatory allegations.
“Whatever issues I may have had in my personal life they have never affected my decision-making on the field.
“I have always held the integrity of the game in the highest regard, refereeing matches impartially and to the best of my ability.”
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The previous comments Coote made about Liverpool
An investigation has now been opened to get to the bottom of the claims surrounding the already-suspended referee.
Previously, a video emerged showing Mr Coote snorting a white powder.
That came after another video showed Mr Coote in a foul-mouthed rant about Liverpool FC and their then-boss Jurgen Klopp.
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After the most recent allegations, a spokesperson for Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) told Sky Sports News: “The facts need to be established in light of these very serious allegations.
“We adopt a zero-tolerance approach to any breach of our Integrity Code of Conduct, which is signed by all match officials on an annual basis.
“PGMOL Board is committed to taking the appropriate action should any breach of that Code be proven.
“David Coote remains suspended and subject to an ongoing disciplinary process by PGMOL, separate to the investigation into this matter which will be carried out independently by The FA.”
It added: “We will be making no further comment at this stage.”
Davina McCall has said she is feeling “stronger and stronger” every day after having brain tumour surgery.
In an update posted to Instagram, the TV presenter emphasised the importance of sleep during her recovery after having a benign brain tumour, known as a colloid cyst, removed.
Sporting a bruised left eye, McCall said she is being “brilliantly” looked after by her boyfriend, hairdresser Michael Douglas, and stepmum Gabby and is “just trying to sleep a lot” and “get better”.
Earlier this week, the star said she was suffering with short-term memory problems, due to the operation. But on Wednesday, she said that her memory is now “improving”.
“My short-term memory is really improving a lot every day,” she said, adding: “It has been an example to me of how much sleep helps me recover from everything.
Pic: Instagram/Davina McCall
“If I feel a bit confused or I’m struggling to concentrate, I just got to sleep, and I wake up just completely renewed and refreshed.
“I know that my brain needs lots of sleep.”
The 57-year-old ended the update by thanking fans for their “ongoing support”.
‘Out of the woods’
Speaking during a livestream on Tuesday, McCall’s partner Douglas said the star is “definitely out of the woods” during her recovery.
McCall with her partner Michael Douglas and her daughter Holly Robertson. Pic: PA
“She’s quite tired at the moment. She sleeps really well at night and goes to bed at 10pm and has a nap in the morning, and sleeps for two or three hours in the afternoon,” he said.
He added that the presenter is off work until mid-January and has “a lot of time to relax and recuperate”.
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Douglas told fans: “It’s been a very, very emotional and quite an incredible experience. We’re definitely out of the woods.”
McCall rose to fame presenting on MTV in the mid-1990s, and later on Channel 4’s Streetmate, before becoming a household name as the host of Big Brother from 2000 to 2010.
She has lived with Douglas since 2022, and together they present a weekly lifestyle podcast called Making The Cut.
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