King visits top UK operational military headquarters

The King was given a first-hand look at the round-the-clock work used to keep the UK and its allies safe during a visit to a top military headquarters.

Charles’s visit to the Northwood military headquarters, the nerve centre of UK defence, was “a tremendous honour”, Deputy Commander at Cyber and Specialist Operations Command (CSOC) Air Marshal Suraya Marshall said.

The King saw the operational control rooms at the north-west London site where all live overseas operations are managed and met personnel who were recently deployed to various key projects.

He met team members who recently helped run the UK’s Carrier Strike Group deployment to the Indo-Pacific, along with those who play a vital role supporting Ukraine, which is now in its fifth year of war against Russia.

The Deputy Commander said Charles’s visit means “a great deal to everyone” at Northwood HQ.

She added: “As one of the most strategically significant military headquarters for the UK and Nato, the work carried out here – day and night, at home and overseas – is critical to the security of the United Kingdom and our allies.

“To have that work recognised at the highest level is a tremendous honour.”

Northwood was originally the base for the RAF Coastal Command during the Second World War.

It is now home to key military commands which provide critical specialist capabilities to help bolster security both at home and abroad.

CSOC, the Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ), Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), and the Royal Navy’s Maritime Operations Centre (MOC) are among the key military commands based at Northwood.