After being forced to miss last year’s celebrations, the Princess of Wales delighted the Irish Guards by attending their annual St Patrick’s Day parade.

Kate is the honorary Colonel of the regiment and this year marks the first time she had attended the event alone, as previously she has been in the company of Prince William, who held the role from 2011 to 2022.

In 2024 of course the princess was diagnosed with cancer, causing her to miss all her scheduled visits around the country, but she now seems to be well on the road to recovery after announcing in January that she is now in remission.

Colonel Catherine, as she is known to the unit, was in great spirits as she watched the traditional march-past at the Wellington Barracks in London, where she looked thrilled to take the royal salute.

Later, dressed in an appropriate green outfit, she chatted happily as the festivities continued, even partaking in a half pint of Guinness!

It is an important year for the Irish Guards Regiment as it is marking its 125th anniversary.

Presentation of sprigs of shamrock

One of the first tasks for the Princess of Wales was to present the traditional sprigs of shamrock to the officers and guardsmen of the regiment. She received a pin-on sprig of her own and proudly wore it below the royal family’s golden Irish Brooch, which itself is shaped like a shamrock.

The popular Colonel also distributed medals recognizing long-standing service and good conduct to soldiers of the unit who had recently returned from deployment in Iraq.

Mascot not missing out

On her first military engagement since completing her chemotherapy treatment, Kate took great pleasure in presenting a shamrock to the Irish Guards’ regimental mascot, Turlough Mor, an Irish wolfhound nicknamed Seamus, who she couldn’t resist giving a warm pat.

Mascot handler Drummer Joseph Aldridge, expressed afterwards how “special” it had been to welcome the princess to share in their big day, after her health issue last year. “She is our Colonel, and obviously we want her to come to our parade every year.”

He said it was especially nice for her to meet and make a fuss of Seamus, and added: “You can tell Her Royal Highness loves these events because she always takes the time when she can, even when she wasn’t our Colonel, she’d make the time to come and see us.”

Raising a glass

The princess was more than happy to raise a glass as she visited the Junior Ranks Dining Hall following the parade. She was thrilled to accept a “three cheers” toast from Guardsman Barry Loughlin, and merrily sipped on a half of Guinness. Kate was also thanked for putting money behind the bar, to which she replied: “That is the least I can do”.

Guardsman Loughlin, remarked later: “She wanted to know how things were going with the blokes in general and was really nice and really warm.” He admitted he became a little flustered in her company, but was keen to point out: “You could tell she had a genuine interest in us.”

Key role for regiment

After posing for official photographs with her regiment, the princess visited the sergeants’ mess, where she met families of soldiers serving overseas and those involved in training Ukrainian troops as part of Operation Inter-flex, a UK-led programme providing battlefield skills to Ukrainian soldiers.

The Irish Guards have played a key role in the programme, which has trained more than 45,000 Ukraine recruits, since Russia’s full-scale invasion back in 2022.

Proud history

The Irish Guards were founded in 1900 by Queen Victoria, whose adviser Lord Wolseley suggested that they should wear shamrocks on their head dress every St. Patrick’s Day “as a mark of the Crown’s appreciation of their exceptional gallantry” during the Boer War.

From there, the regiment was born and the St. Patrick’s Day shamrock tradition has continued into the present in gratitude for their outstanding gallantry.