Kate hails Irish Guards’ ‘glorious sense of humour’ on St Patrick’s Day visit

Prince and Princess of Wales Having celebrated St Patrick’s Day with the Irish Guards, Kate praised their “unbridled, irreverent, wonderful sense of humour”.

William, who said he was “incredibly sad” at the end of his time as colonel of the regiment, joined Kate who officially became colonel on Friday.

The pair were attending the St Patrick’s Day Parade at Mons Barracks in Aldershot, Hampshire.

Kate, appropriately dressed in an emerald green dress with stiletto heels, presented sprigs of shamrock to the officers and guards, as well as the Irish wolfhound regimental mascot Thurlow Moor, also known as Seamus.

As rain fell on the parade ground, the band of the Irish Guards played tunes including Bill Whelan’s River Dance music.

In a speech, William said: “While I am delighted to be here celebrating St Patrick’s Day with you, I am incredibly saddened to be making this speech, because it means that as your Colonel But my time has come. The end

“Receiving this award has been one of the greatest honors of my life. I am proud of everything it stands for – just as I am immensely proud of each and every one of you.

He added: “It’s also no secret that while at Sandhurst I visited potential officers of the Irish Guards, an experience that put the battalion firmly at the top of my personal wish list.

“Only operational reasons prevented me from serving my frontline years with The Mix.

“However, I have enjoyed every opportunity to meet you – I only wish the opportunities were more frequent.

“From drills and range days here in the UK to training abroad – such as in Kenya 2018 – I have such vivid memories of witnessing what you do so brilliantly on the field.”

Speaking about his wife, the prince said: “I may be digressing, but in Colonel Catherine you are a determined, focused and already incredibly loyal eleventh colonel.

“As you serve together in the years to come, know that I will be watching over you, proud to be one of you.”

Taking to the microphone after William, Kate said: “I couldn’t be more proud to be standing here in front of you today.” It is truly an honor to be your Colonel. I’m here to listen to you, support you, and help you in everything you do – a responsibility I don’t take lightly.

“Last week, I took the opportunity to meet some of you at Salisbury Plain, to see for myself your impressive work.

“The day was bitterly cold, and showing off your skills in front of another guest is probably the last thing any of you would want to do, I just saw passion, pride and incredible dedication.

“I was impressed by your insistence that nothing is as bad as it seems, and most of all – your boundless, irreverent, wonderful sense of humor. That’s what makes you who you are.” Who are and what makes the Irish Guards unique?

“I look forward to spending more time with you and your family, seeing your commitment to duty and service in all that you do. Before I close, however, I want to thank Colonel William He has always spoken of his great pride in this regiment. I know he will continue to support us in all that we do.

The parade ended with a royal salute and march past, where Kate took the salute as the new colonel. After the parade, the princess was presented with flowers by six-year-old Aoife Wigley and her sister Alice, four.

The couple also met with the Irish Guards Association, which is made up of past members of the Irish Guards.

The visit ended in a packed hall indoors as William took a pint of Guinness and Kate nursed half a pint. The couple mingled with the Irish Guards, chatting about army life and Saturday’s big rugby clash between Ireland and England.