Abbie attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst where she gained her commission in the British Territorial Army (TA). She served as an infantry platoon commander in Manchester Officer Training Corps before becoming, at one stage, the only female cavalry officer in the TA. Taking an unusual leadership role for a woman, she became a troop leader. Abbie later joined the elite Media Operations Group (V) where she served in numerous locations including Salisbury Plain, Germany, Cyprus and the Oman Desert. In 2000 she was awarded the Prothero Trophy at the RMA Sandhurst for her outstanding service to the Group. As a captain in the TA, Abbie escorted a BBC Television film crew across the desert of Oman for three days to film the TV series Guns and Roses. She also battled monsoon rainfall in the jungle of Brunei as the presenter of a documentary for the Ministry of Defence. Abbie resigned her commission in 2003 to pursue her philanthropic interests.