PRINCE William joined brave troops during the final rehearsal ahead of next week’s Trooping the Colour, as brother Prince Harry’s court case continues.
The Prince of Wales has praised troops for doing a ”really good job” ahead of the grand ceremony next week, despite the difficult conditions and soaring temperatures.
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During the final practice session, known as the Colonel’s Review, at least three soldiers are said to have collapsed and been taken off while two more were helped off the parade ground, Daily Mail reported.
The service at Horse Guards Parade in London is the last rehearsal for Trooping The Colour, which takes place next weekend to mark King Charles III’s official birthday on Saturday.
William, 40, looked smart in his red military uniform, which he had teamed with the traditional bearskin hat, with numerous medals on his chest.
Reports suggest that thousands of royal fans attended the rehearsal in St James’s Park in the sweltering heat.
But with temperatures rising to 28C, the weather conditions proved too much for some of those taking part – and William later posted a tweet to thank to everyone involved.
After collapsing, one member of the Massed Bands of the Household Division returned to his feet and was then greeted with a round of applause from those watching the ceremony.
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18-year-old James Calford, from Cardiff, who was the youngest soldier in the Welsh Guards, described the hot day as ”like being stood in a sauna with a 200kg dumbbell in your left hand”.
He added that the ceremony ”is a lot harder than it looks on the TV”.
”Once you have got your tunic and bearskin on and carrying your rifle in heat it is incredibly uncomfortable.”
William’s horse, named Darby, was a gift to the late Queen from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The much-beloved horse also led the emotional funeral procession for his grandmother last year.
It comes after a busy week for Prince William’s brother, Prince Harry, who broke down in court last week after admitting “I don’t know” 18 times in less than three hours as he stumbled through hours of questioning over his own bombshell case.
The Duke of Sussex’s voice cracked as he admitted “it’s a lot” after spending seven hours in total being quizzed as part of the phone hacking trial against Mirror Group Newspapers.
Harry – who has been instrumental in the phone hacking case – alleges about 140 articles published between 1996 and 2010 contained information gathered using unlawful methods by the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People.
But on Wednesday he struggled to recall reading numerous articles at the time – and when asked if he had any evidence to back his claims said “no, that’s why we’re here”.
And his testimony ended with the Royal struggling to contain his emotions, with his voice cracking as he told the High Court “it’s a lot” after being asked to clarify details of his case.
Prince Harry finished a gruelling two-day session of questioning at the High Court, which saw him quizzed over a string of articles including a piece headlined ‘Prince of Lapland’ that shared details of a visit to strip club Spearmint Rhino in 2006.
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