The Duchess of Cambridge, alongside Prince William, kicked off the St Patrick’s Day celebrations with Irish Guards at the annual parade in London. The event took place at the base of the 1st Battalion Irish Guards.
The Duchess, who is expecting her third child next month, wore a dark green Catherine Walker coat and a Gina Foster headpiece, which she first wore in 2014. Her Catherine Walker coat made its first appearance during Kate’s royal tour in Scandinavia.
As part of the ceremony, Kate presented sprigs of shamrocks to officers, while approximately 350 soldiers, friends and family observed the celebrations. The regiment’s mascot, Irish wolfhound “Donal” was the centre of attention and was even given his own bunch of shamrocks. Donal is the regiments longest running mascot, having served since 1985. To make sure he gets his duties just right, the Irish wolfhound goes through a week of test runs in preparation for the ceremony.
William, dressed in his black ceremonial uniform is Colonel of the Irish Guards, took the salute as the regiment continued the march past. Kate watched as her husband performed his duties as Colonel, and was full of smiles the entire time. After the parade, the couple hung out with soldiers while William sipped a pint of Guinness. Both posed for a photo, with Kate heartily laughing with William while sipping on her water.
During their St Patrick’s Day engagements, the Cambridge’s seemed relaxed and showed more public affection than usual, making them more relatable than ever. As Kate is due next month, this will likely be one of the Duchess’s last public engagements before the birth.
