Prince William's wife Kate shares military uniform picture in Armed Forces Day tribute

Duchess of Cambridge pays homage to servicemen and women whose sacrifices 'keep us safe'

The Duchess of Cambridge shared some photos from her visit to Pirbright Training Academy and Abingdon airfield in November last year. . PA

Katherine, Duchess of Cambridge, has paid tribute to "all the brave men and women" in the military on Armed Forces Day.

The British royal, in a statement posted on Twitter, thanked the armed forces and their families for the sacrifice they make to keep the UK safe.

"Today on #ArmedForcesDay, William and I would like to pay tribute to the brave men and women, past and present, serving in all of our armed forces, at sea, on land and in the air, here in the UK and around the world," Kate said.

"Thank you for all you and your families sacrifice to keep us safe."

The duchess also shared some photos from her visit to Pirbright Training Academy and Abingdon airfield in November last year. She can be seen wearing military uniform in some of the photos.

"Last year, I was honoured to spend time with the @BritishArmy to see how they train serving personnel and new recruits," she wrote.

"It was wonderful to see first-hand the many important and varied roles the military play day in, day out to protect us all."

She added that she looked forward to discovering more about the Royal Air Force and Navy "in due course".

During her visit the duchess saw how new recruits and serving personnel are trained.

She even took part in some of the training exercises and spent time speaking to the soldiers about their experiences in the British Army.

The photos echo those taken of her mother-in-law Princess Diana, sitting in the driver's seat of a tank in 1988.

Similarly, a young Prince Harry was also photographed wearing a slightly-too-large helmet while on a visit to the barracks of the light dragoons in 1993.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace also voiced their appreciation for service personnel across the UK.

"Our armed forces are without doubt the best, most respected and most loved armed forces in the world," the prime minister said.

"You are hugely admired by the people of this country — who cheered you most recently at the Jubilee celebrations — because they are so proud of everything you do to keep us safe.

"You are there for us and our country when we need you, whether you are watching the skies, patrolling the seas or standing over our interests.

"Thank you to everyone in the vast military family. Thank you to our incredible veterans. And thank you to the family and friends whose support is so crucial to ensuring that we have the best fighting force anywhere in the world."

Mr Wallace said service personnel and their families' unwavering commitment to the defence of the UK "ensures that we are kept safe, at home and abroad, 365 days a year".

"On this Armed Forces Day, I hope the entire nation will join me in saying thank-you to this community who make so many sacrifices to defend the freedoms and rights of the British people," he said.