Royal Marines commandos to stage firearms demonstration on Thames as Dutch royals visit

If you live or work near central London and hear gunfire along the River Thames on Wednesday, don’t be alarmed.

Royal Marines commandos will be taking part in a live firepower demonstration as part of the welcome for King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands.

The Dutch royals are on a state visit to the UK to mark 45 years of bilateral collaboration on the UK/NL Amphibious Force and will visit the high-tech HNLMS Zeeland, anchored beside the HMS Belfast near London Bridge, in the company of the Duke of Kent and the Earl and Countess of Wessex.

The party will be treated to a 10-minute, high-speed “simulated assault” involving three platoons and demonstrating the unit’s seaborne capabilities, with rounds of blank ammunition being fired.

“The display will be a short, sharp, clear demonstration of the joint amphibious capability provided by both 1 AGRM and the commandos from the Royal Netherlands Marines Corps,” said Colonel Simon Scott, Commanding Officer 1 Assault Group Royal Marines.

“We train and operate extremely closely with our Dutch counterparts and are well practised in our collaboration.

“The Royal Marines and Royal Netherlands Marines have a long history of serving together on operations across the globe, most recently offering humanitarian support to islands affected by Hurricane Irma in the Caribbean.”

The 10-metre HNLMS Zeeland is an offshore patrol vessel intended to fight illegal activities at sea, from smuggling to piracy. It features advanced radar and land and air surveillance scanners and is crewed by a team of 50.

The celebration of Anglo-Dutch joint operations comes at a time when the future of British military partnerships faces an uncertain future because of the faltering nature of Brexit negotiations.

“Our forces have worked closely with the Netherlands amphibious forces for more than 45 years, demonstrating world-class military integration,” said Gavin Williamson, the defence secretary.

“Right now, our Royal Marines are working alongside their Dutch counterparts in Norway as part of the Defence Arctic Strategy, which shows our deep shared commitment to European security.

“This state visit allows us to take stock and celebrate an enduring alliance with one of our closest defence partners.”