King of Jordan meets troops in UK

The king is due to inspect soldiers and take a salute

King Abdullah of Jordan was due to visit troops in a UK regiment in Norfolk on Wednesday.

The King was to meet officers from the The Light Dragoons at Robertson Barracks, Swanton Morley, Norfolk.

King Abdullah was appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment by The Queen last year.

In January last year, prior to the attack on Iraq, Prime Minister Tony Blair met the king to discuss Iraq and the Middle East.

King Abdullah, a key Western ally in the region, had been urging Britain and the US not to go to war with Saddam Hussein.

Fly in by helicopter

Mr Blair was accompanied by his wife, Cherie, for the meeting at the royal residence in the Jordanian port city of Aqaba.

The couple attended a dinner hosted by King Abdullah and his wife, Queen Rania.

An Army spokesman said it was the first time the King, who attended Sandhurst military college and served in the British Army two decades ago, had visited the regiment since his appointment.

The King was due to fly into Robertson Barracks by helicopter and be greeted by commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel David Amos and the Colonel of the Regiment, Lieutenant General Sir Roderick Cordy-Simpson.

He was also due to inspect soldiers and take a salute.

In 1981 the King was commissioned into the 13th/18th Royal Hussars, which later became part of The Light Dragoons in an amalgamation.