The Princess of Wales has confirmed her plans for St Patrick’s Day, where she will visit the Irish Guards in her role as the regiment’s colonel.
Kate, 43, traditionally marks the occasion with the regiment and will celebrate this year’s event at the Wellington Barracks in London. During her visit, she will present long service and good conduct medals to members of the regiment.
The mother of three will then take part in the regiment’s parade, where she will present the traditional sprig of shamrock to officers and guardsmen, as well as to the Irish Wolfhound regimental mascot. The officers will then distribute the shamrock among the ranks.
Following this, Kate will meet members of the guard, including the ‘Mini Micks,’ a group of junior cadets from Northern Ireland, before participating in official photographs with the officers and sergeants.
Her visit will conclude at the Junior Ranks dining hall, where she will be toasted by senior guardsmen in the battalion. She will also take time to speak with soldiers about their experiences in service before meeting their families in the Sergeants’ Mess.
Kate’s plans were announced shortly after it was revealed that family friend, the Duke of Westminster, is expecting his first child with his wife, Olivia.
A spokesperson for the couple shared in a statement: “The Duke and Duchess of Westminster are very pleased to share that the Duchess is expecting a baby in the summer. The couple are delighted with the news and are very much looking forward to starting a family together.”
Since their wedding, the Duke and Duchess have largely maintained a private life, even managing to stay out of the spotlight when attending the wedding of Olivia’s younger brother, Jasper Henson, in September 2024.
The intimate ceremony was held at the stunning Lupiana Monastery, just outside Madrid, where Jasper married Isabel Rodríguez-Legorburu.
King Charles’s godson first met Olivia in 2021 through mutual friends, and the couple announced their engagement two years later, in April 2023, with a casual photograph taken on the grounds of his family home, Eaton Hall in Cheshire.