Duchess takes evasive action

A dramatic display of Polish military might had the Duchess of Cornwall sticking her fingers in her ears as guns and smoke grenades went off during a mock ambush.

By The Newsroom

Published 17th Mar 2010, 20:07 BST

Updated 17th Mar 2010, 20:08 BST

The Duchess had joined the Prince of Wales at the headquarters of Poland's 1st Armoured Brigade to meet soldiers due to be deployed in Afghanistan.

The royal couple watched four armoured personnel carriers take part in the exercise in a snow-covered field. As the soldiers swooped on the attackers, loud bangs and cracks went off and the Duchess, who was wrapped up against the cold by in a green coat and scarf, stuck her gloved fingers in her ears for the duration of the mock fire-fight.

The royal visit to the Brigade's headquarters in Wesola, on the outskirts of Warsaw, was seen by the Polish soldiers as important recognition of their efforts in Afghanistan.

Poland first committed troops to the war in 2002 and since then has lost 16 military personnel. Around 2,600 troops from the Brigade will be deployed in April to the province of Ghazni.