The Duchess of Edinburgh visited the headquarters of Thames Valley Air Ambulance following the charity's "busiest year yet".
The crews serve areas across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire and were called out 3,302 times in 2025.
Sophie, who is the Royal Patron of the charity, visited the expanded education and operations areas, being shown how the crews work with new technology to make operations more effective.
The duchess unveiled a plaque to officially commemorate the visit.
Sophie visited Air Ambulance crews following the service's 'busiest year yet' | GETTY
The charity responded to 1,230 cardiac arrests across 2025, over three every day.
Some 1,162 call-outs were responded to in Buckinghamshire, 958 in Oxfordshire and 1,090 in Berkshire.
Crews were sent out to 223 seriously ill or injured children, including 82 children under the age of five.
Sophie observed critical care paramedics and doctors conducting a training scenario at the Pre-hospital Education Centre.
The charity was called out 3,302 times in 2025
|GETTY
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Critical care paramedic James Perks noted Sophie's interest in their work.
He said: "I think something the duchess picked up upon was that it's not just the procedures or the medicine actually, it's deploying that and delivering that in austere environments, and that's what we can do by having these facilities around us."
Amanda McLean, chief executive of Thames Valley Air Ambulance, described it as "an honour" to welcome Sophie to their facilities.
She said: "A former patient as well as our Royal Patron, the duchess has always been passionate about our mission to give everyone in the region the best possible chance of survival and recovery.
Sophie's appearance was described as 'an honour' by crews
|GETTY
"She was really supportive during the Covid pandemic, she attended calls with crews online and talking to them and she's been to our 21st birthday, so she's very familiar with what's going on - really interested and really supportive."
Earlier this week, Sophie made an appearance at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre, where she paid a visit to England Hockey.
During the engagement, the royal showcased her athletic prowess by having a go at taking shots.
The duchess selected a head-to-toe black ensemble ideally suited for the sporting occasion.
The duchess, during a visit with Air Ambulance crews back in 2020
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Her outfit comprised fitted trousers paired with a high-necked knit top and tailored blazer.
She completed the look with Adidas 'Ultraboost Five' trainers.
The public appearance comes just days after Sophie visited The Lighthouse in Woking, Surrey, ahead of the charity's upcoming relocation.
As patron of the organisation, her royal highness spent time with volunteers as they packed up the site for a move just around the corner.
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