Kate was raised to the Honorary Colonel title, taking over from William, who bore the
title last year. King Charles gave Kate the title.
Princess Kate was wearing a teal coat dress by designer Catherine Walker & Co; she
paired everything with a matching hat and heels, emerald earrings and a loaned shamrock
brooch that belonged to the regiment.
With Catherine becoming Honorary Colonel of the regiment, William then moves to the
equivalent title for the Welsh Guards to match his Prince of Wales title.
Both Kate and William gave speeches that day.
William said: “Whilst I am extremely happy to be here celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with
you once again, I’m incredibly sad to be giving this speech, as it really does mean my
time as your Colonel has come to an end. It has been one of the great honors of my life to
hold that title; I’m proud of everything it stands for – just as I’m immensely proud of
every single one of you.”
He added by saying: “I would now like to speak directly to the families gathered here
today,” he said. “I hope you know how truly grateful I am to all of you too. On this, my
13th and final St. Patrick’s Day as Colonel, not only am I saddened that I’ll likely fail
once again to finish a pint of Guinness… but I am also sad that I won’t in future see more
of you, the families, whose unwavering support enables these outstanding men and
women to do what they do.”
“I may be stepping aside, but in Colonel Catherine, you have a committed, focused, and
already incredibly loyal 11th Colonel.”
Kate then started her speech by saying “I really couldn’t be prouder to stand in front of
you here today. It really is a true honor to be your Colonel. I am here to listen to you, to
support you, and to champion you in all you do – this is a responsibility I do not take
lightly.”
She then added: “I look forward to spending more time with you and your families,
seeing your commitment to duty and service in all you do. Before I close, however, I
want to thank Colonel William. He has always talked about his fierce pride for this
Regiment. I know he will continue to support us all in the work we do.”
The Princess closes her speech by saying: “Finally, I would like to wish you all, a very
happy St. Patrick’s Day.”
This marks Kate’s second outing with the regiment, since becoming Honorary Colonel.
Her very first one was a sporting Camo where she wore a military themed outfit.
The St-Patrick’s Day event was more on the fun side.
Princess Catherine praised the regiment for their Inspiring work as she recalls how cold
and awful the weather was when she did the sporting camo. And how the regiment gets to
carry through their duties regardless of the weather and other unpleasant circumstances
they may encounter. She also recalls the regiment being very friendly, enthusiastic and
welcoming towards her visit. Most of all, Kate appreciated that the regiment is able to
have fun through it all.
She said of the Camo event: “The day was bitterly cold, and while displaying your skills
to yet another visitor was probably the last thing any of you wanted to do, all I saw was
enthusiasm, pride, and incredible dedication; I was hugely impressed with your insistence
that nothing is as bad as it seems, and — most of all — your boundless, irreverent,
glorious sense of humor.”
The parade ended with a septal salute towards her as the troops marched past.
William and Kate ended the day with a group of veterans from the Irish Guards
Association. Kate was invited to inspect the front rank; Prince William inspected the
second rank.
