Princess Kate has confirmed her participation in this year’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations, where she will visit the Irish Guards in her role as Colonel of the regiment.
Kate, 43, has a longstanding tradition of marking St Patrick’s Day with the group, and this year, she will commemorate the occasion at 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, presenting the traditional sprig of shamrock to officers, guardsmen, and the Irish Wolfhound regimental mascot. The officers will then distribute the shamrock among the ranks.
Kate’s engagement will also include meeting members of the guard, including the Mini Micks—junior cadets from Northern Ireland—before posing for official photographs with officers and sergeants.
Her visit will conclude at the Junior Ranks dining hall, where senior guardsmen will toast her presence. She will also take the opportunity to speak with soldiers about their experiences and meet their families in the Sergeants’ Mess.
The announcement of Kate’s plans comes shortly after the joyful news that family friend, the Duke of Westminster, and his wife, Olivia, are expecting their first child.
A spokesperson for the couple shared: “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 keeping a low profile while attending the wedding of Olivia’s younger brother, Jasper Henson, in September 2024. The intimate ceremony took place at the breathtaking Lupiana Monastery near Madrid, where Jasper wed Isabel Rodríguez-Legorburu.
The Duke, who is King Charles’s godson, met Olivia in 2021 through mutual friends. The couple announced their engagement in April 2023 with a relaxed photograph taken on the grounds of his family estate, Eaton Hall in Cheshire.
