Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Prince Harry has paid tribute to the "professionalism and bravery" of Estonian troops during the first day of his visit to the Baltic state.



He paid his respects to soldiers who died fighting for the country by laying a wreath at a national monument in Tallinn's Freedom Square. During a speech Prince Harry later said the UK and Estonia are "firm friends". The serving Army officer said he had been "privileged" to serve alongside Estonian troops while in Afghanistan.



Crowds of people, many waving union jacks, earlier watched as Prince Harry laid a wreath alongside two Estonian servicemen. A handwritten note attached to the wreath read: "In memory of all those who gave their lives for their country - Harry". "Your armed forces have built a formidable reputation through their professionalism and bravery in the most testing conditions," he told guests during a reception at Estonia's parliament building.



Addressing the guests, which included injured troops, he said: "You get the job done with minimal fuss and I love that." His first tour of Afghanistan - as a forward air controller on the front line - was cut short in 2008 after 10 weeks because a media blackout was broken. "As a nation, we are extremely grateful for your support and for the sacrifice Estonia has made alongside us in recent operations. It is something which we will never forget," the prince said. "Our countries are firm friends but this friendship continues to grow even stronger, through our shared experiences and goals."

After two days on royal duty in Italy, Prince Harry turned tourist to take in one of Rome's most historic sights. Sightseers were stunned to see the fourth-in-line to the throne wandering around the Colosseum dressed casually in a pale blue checked shirt and jeans. The royal, 29, arrived for a tour of the amphitheatre, where gladiators once fought to the death, paying for his own ticket and that of his staff.



The ancient stadium remained open to visitors throughout the prince's visit and was packed with tourists. The prince started his guided tour at the same time as a group of around 20 Canadians and Americans. They watched amazed as Harry stood a few yards from them, listening to the guide tell the gruesome history of the 2000 year old amphitheatre where Rome's rulers watched animal hunts, reenactments of sea battles alongside crowds of more than 50,000. Wanda Quenneville, 45, from Toronto in Canada, said: 'I was in shock. That was really exciting. It was the highlight of our visit. He is so handsome. He is actually much more handsome in person.'





Mrs Quenneville, who was on holiday with her husband Phil, 47, and daughter Alysha, 21, and son Andrew, 23, added: 'I am all jittery now.' Alysha, a student, said: 'It was crazy. It was unbelievable. Better than the Colosseum.' Hundreds of tourists looking down from the higher galleries, trained their cameras on the royal visitor, cheered and shouted his name. The day before the prince had been mobbed by gangs of teenage girls waving Union flags as he visited a contemporary art gallery in the capital. Aides said the visit, described as a semi-official part of the Prince's visit to Italy, came out at the Prince's request.