Prince William jokes about lack of Covid-19 lockdown fitness as he pays tribute to armed forces
Prince William has admitted he needs to get back in shape after two periods of lockdown this year.
The Duke of Cambridge was joking about his fitness during a video call with military personnel serving overseas to mark Remembrance week.
The Prince said he had been "beasted" by military fitness instructors during his time in the Royal Navy.
William told leading Physical Instructor Damon Bell, who is deployed on HMS Montrose in the Gulf: "I remember being beasted by people like you Damon.”
He was referring to the fitness sessions he did when he was serving on the ship HMS Iron Duke.
"The on-deck PT was always quite a fun afternoon. I think after a number of lockdowns I might need your PT skills to help get back into shape again."
Bell replied: "Always on the end of a Zoom call, Sir, whenever you're ready!”
The Duke also recalled the £40 million drugs bust he took part in in 2008 while on board.
The Royal Navy seized more than one tonne of cocaine from a speedboat in the North Atlantic.
The haul was more than double the value of a recent drugs bust made by HMS Montrose - the vessel with which William had linked up for the video call.
Montrose seized £18 million or 450kg of methamphetamine in the north Arabian sea.
Bell remarked: "Only half of what you got on Iron Duke, but still nonetheless very good."
William joked: "I wasn't going to bring that up but I'm glad that's still being talked about."
The Prince also spoke to Flight Sergeant Gemma Thomson who is serving in Qatar on the US-led mission against so-called Islamic State, and Corporal Jiwan Kumar Thapa, of the Queen's Gurkha Signals who is stationed in Somalia.
William paid tribute to British military serving around the globe, saying the nation was "grateful" for their sacrifices.
The Duke said in the call made last week: "I hope that over Remembrance Sunday we can remind people just how committed and determined, and how brilliant all the people we have in the Forces are around the world."
He added: "People don't necessarily realise how committed and scattered the British armed forces are around the world."
More than 11,000 members of British Armed Forces personnel are currently deployed on operations around the world.