It comes after a charity named Sophie as its first ever royal patron

The Royal Family's official social media account joked about the Duchess of Edinburgh's decision to hit indoor ski slopes during Britain's current heatwave.

"That's one way to cool down in a heatwave," the social media team wrote, before announcing Sophie's new patronage of the Armed Forces Para-Snowsport Team.

The post, which accompanied images from the duchess's visit to the Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead on Monday, noted that she had learned about the charity's work and joined athletes on the indoor runs.

As previously reported, Sophie was confirmed as AFPST's first Royal Patron during the engagement, which saw her swap summer temperatures for artificial snow at the Hertfordshire venue.

The charity assists wounded, injured and sick serving personnel and veterans by offering adaptive alpine skiing, snowboarding and Nordic disciplines, to rebuild confidence and foster a sense of community among participants.

AFPST also creates routes into coaching, competitive sport and adventure pursuits for those it supports.

The organisation had not previously had a dedicated royal patron; its mission aligns closely with causes historically associated with military rehabilitation and adaptive sport.

Over the past year, AFPST has expanded its activities to include UK training camps, military competitions, international deployments, including one to Winter Park, Colorado, Paralympic support, and rehabilitation work in Ukraine.

Sophie's connection to military winter sport is well established; she already serves as patron of the UK Armed Forces Winter Sports Association.

During Monday's visit, the duchess, an experienced skier, wore full ski gear including a royal blue jacket and snow boots before racing across the indoor slopes. She also tried her hand at laser rifle target practice.

Photographs released at the time showed Sophie spending time with AFPST athletes as they trained, as well as meeting the coaches, volunteers and board members who run the organisation's programmes.

She heard directly from participants about how snowsports contribute to their rehabilitation and recovery, both in the UK and overseas.

The duchess has long been a familiar figure on the slopes. Sophie and Prince Edward have made near-annual skiing trips to St Moritz, and earlier this year she visited Méribel in France in her capacity as UKAFSWA patron.

Elizabeth Winfield, AFPST's chief operating officer, said after the visit: "The Duchess's patronage marks a defining moment in AFPST's journey. It strengthens our ability to grow, to reach more veterans and to deliver the life-changing programmes that sit at the heart of our charity."

She added: "Having Her Royal Highness meet our athletes first-hand brings powerful visibility to their resilience and achievements and reinforces why projects like Vidda are so vital."

Project Vidda is among the charity's most prominent upcoming initiatives. It will see a team of amputee veterans attempt an unsupported crossing of Norway's Vidda plateau, an Arctic expedition that AFPST has identified as a key fundraising and awareness priority for the year ahead.