New pictures released of Duchess of Cambridge to mark Armed Forces Day

New pictures of Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge have been released as she paid tribute to servicemen and women to mark Armed Forces Day.

Kate, 40, also penned a heartfelt message on Instagram to mark the special occasion.

She then shared photos of herself meeting new recruits at Pirbright Training Academy at Abingdon Airfield last November.

She also participated in some of the training exercises and spent time speaking to personnel about their experiences in the British Army.

Photos show the Duchess getting her hands dirty helping repair machinery during her time with the 101 Operational Sustainment Brigade.

In a social media post, she wrote: “Today on Armed Forces Day, 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.

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

She added: “Last year, I was honoured to spend time with the @BritishArmy to see how they train serving personnel and new recruits.

“It was wonderful to see first-hand the many important and varied roles the military play day in, day out to protect us all, and I look forward to discovering more about the @RoyalNavy and @RoyalAirForceUK in due course.”

Previously called Veterans’ Day, Armed Forces Day has been running since 2006 and is celebrated up and down the country.

Events are being held across the ­country in a special ­celebration to show appreciation for the British army.