The Duchess of Edinburgh, Sophie, recently visited British Army reservists participating in a military exercise in northern Germany.
According to a press release from the British Army, this visit marked her first field engagement with the Queen’s Own Yeomanry (QOY), where she serves as Royal Colonel.
The Duchess observed the operational capabilities of the Regiment during Exercise Rhino Heart in Sennelager. Speaking to the troops, she said, “The fact that you’ve been given the opportunity to prove that we’ve got an extremely capable and reliable reserve force is very exciting. From what I’ve seen, the atmosphere is really positive and upbeat, and everyone is getting a huge amount out of it. I wish you all the best for a successful exercise.”
Based at Fenham Barracks in Newcastle, the QOY is a light cavalry regiment within the Army Reserve, with squadrons in York, Wigan, and Chester. The Regiment is renowned for its expertise in gathering vital intelligence on enemy positions and environmental conditions, playing a crucial role within the 19th Light Brigade, the Army’s only fully-reservist brigade.
Exercise Rhino Heart is noted as the largest deployment of British Army Reserves since the Cold War. The exercise involves over 650 personnel, including troops from the US National Guard and German Bundeswehr.
The aim is to showcase the UK’s mobilisation capability, strengthen alliances, and reinforce NATO’s deterrence posture through the active engagement of reserve units.
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As the British Military Presence in Germany has decreased the acronym has steadily gotten worse:
BAOR- British Army of the Rhine; sounds like something out of Lord of the Rings.
BFG- British Forces Germany, sounds like something Roal Dahl would write about.
BAG- British Army in Germany, sounds like something you stuff your keys into.
Something like the Riders of Rohan but with Chieftains instead of horses?
Not sure of the etiquette of smoking a huge cigar whilst talking to royalty…..