annashay 
The Princess of Wales chose recognizable styles to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the Irish Guards. 
Rebecca English of The Daily Mail shared a video of the Princess, Colonel of the Guards, arriving at the barracks.
The Princess of Wales, Colonel, Irish Guards, is visiting the regiment at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Wellington Barracks ☘️ pic.twitter.com/XDHOIWgLx3
— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) March 17, 2025
The Princess was solo today for her engagement with the regiment. This year marks the regiment’s 125th anniversary. 
A little more background comes via this Daily Mirror piece.
Last time she took part in the parade was in 2023, when she visited the Irish Guards on St Patrick’s Day with Prince William at Mons Barracks in Aldershot, Hampshire, after taking over the role of colonel from her husband. Last year, the guardsman gave three cheers for their absent colonel while the princess was away from public duties.
The Princess began her engagement with a visit to the dining hall, where she awarded medals to Irish Guards members for long service and good conduct—another quick video.
Loving the updo! pic.twitter.com/s0XJsGSP9r
— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) March 17, 2025
We learn more from this Daily Telegraph story.
Leaning down to shake hands with Rory Irwin-Clark, six, she said: “You’re six? The same age as my Louis.”
His mother, Carice, revealed that they often saw the Princess at sports matches as their daughter was the same age as Princess Charlotte at a nearby private school.
The Daily Mail reports, “…she told soldiers and their families, including some who had recently returned from Iraq, that she had missed taking part in the ceremony over the past two years.”
Then, it was time to head back outside for the shamrock ceremony. 
The Princess was reported to have attached her own shamrocks to her coat, but it look like she received a little assistance from an officer. 
She presented officers and guardsmen with their sprigs. 
Sharing a laugh with the officer who helped her with her shamrock sprig. 
The prepared shamrocks are stored in baskets before presentation to the regiment. 
A closer view. 
One of my favorite parts of the day was the Princess presenting shamrocks to the regiment’s mascot, an Irish wolfhound named Turlough Mór (pronounced Tur-Lock More). When not on duty, the four-year-old canine is often called “Seamus.” 
Today is also when I participate in the annual exercise known as “insert as much content as possible about the dog” into the post. 
Cameron Walker of GB News posted a quick video.
The Princess of Wales presents the ☘️ to Seamus the Irish Wolfhound (Irish Guards mascot) during the #StPatricksDay Parade at Wellington Barracks. pic.twitter.com/SccvlnWpXO
— Cameron Walker (@CameronDLWalker) March 17, 2025
Next, a march-past and salute. 
You can hear the salute to the Princess in this video from the King’s Guards Channel.
Royal Salute for Princess Catherine by The Irish Guards ☘️ #StPatricksDay2025 pic.twitter.com/kTlC1RPqaL
— The King’s Guards Channel (@TheKingsGuardsX) March 17, 2025
The Barrhead News reports, “Huge crowds braved the biting cold to gather at the gates of Wellington Barracks and catch a glimpse of the ceremony.”
The Princess spent time with junior cadets known as “mini-Micks,” who traveled from Northern Ireland for today’s ceremony.
The Princess visited the Junior Ranks dining hall, where a senior guardsman proposed a toast—more from this Times article.
In the cookhouse, Kate joined the soldiers for a drink, opting for a half pint of Guinness. Sitting down to talk to troops about the difficulties of being on deployment, the princess said: “Being able to manage that work-life balance — it’s tough.”
The Barrhead News offers more in this story.
Guardsman Barry Loughlin, who led the toast, said afterwards: “She wanted to know how things were going with the blokes in general. She was really nice and really warm. I was kind of flustered. You could tell she had a genuine interest in us.”
The Princess making a new friend. 
And with a toddler.
The Princess also spent time in the sergeants’ mess. 
More from Hello’s coverage:
She told Corporal Adam Hamilton, an Australian reservist: “George finds it fascinating that he has been to Australia and New Zealand.
I would like to go back there with them now. It’s finding time to do that. But I love to travel – yes, it’s a long flight. But I love the Middle East because that’s familiar to me [from] growing up. There are so many opportunities now to travel, I think it’s brilliant to experience it.
“We tend to go further afield when it’s official visits, it’s being able to carve out time to experience these countries in a more private capacity. Because otherwise you end up seeing lots of insides of amazing buildings but you don’t get to meet that many people. It’s making sure that you can combine a bit of work with the children. I might see you down there!”
Below, a photo from that 2014 visit to Australia, as the family arrived in Sydney. 
We return to coverage of today’s events. 
The Telegraph reports about other conversations the Princess had today.
The Princess also chatted to section commanders in the bar about Prince William’s beard. “These trends come and go,” she said. “I was saying to my husband, I’m not sure how long he’s going to keep his for.”
Expressing enthusiasm for the various different careers on offer in the Army, the Princess also revealed that she was particularly keen to help bolster recruitment.
Before the day wrapped up, photos were taken. 
The formal photo portraits included human and four-legged members of the regiment. 
The Princess appeared to enjoy herself thoroughly. 
She was presented with a lovely posy before she left. 
A social media message posted after the engagement by Kensington Palace. 
And a video from the palace.
“Oh the Shamrock, the green, immortal Shamrock!”
From the Emerald Isle to the proud ranks of the Irish Guards, the shamrock is a symbol of heritage, unity and service. It’s an honour to continue the tradition of presenting fresh sprigs to the @irish_guards regiment on St… pic.twitter.com/Z0XloSN0dF
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 17, 2025
Now our look at what Kate wore for her engagement with the Irish Guards. 
She brought back an Alexander McQueen coat that features some military-style design elements. The fitted piece has notched lapels, flap pockets, a pronounced inset waistband with buttons, sleeve bands, and a back vent. We first saw the coat during the Boston trip in November 2022, shown below right. In the photo on the left, you see the Princess wearing the same design in blue on Christmas Day 2023. 
Beneath the coat, it’s possible the Princess wore Sézane’s Naelle Skirt in black ($175), a style she has worn in other colors. This closeup shows the ribbed fabric underneath the coat. Thank you to Middleton Maven, the Princess of Wales Closet, and others for their thoughts on what the Princess may have been wearing beneath the coat. 
Other possibilities include a couple of Cefinn knit dresses, such as the Eva in black. The Princess has worn the Eva in navy blue.
The Princess repeated a Lock and Company hat first noted on St. Patrick’s Day 2019. The percher-style chapeau features floral embellishment.
A closer look at the Princess’s intricate updo today. 
A social media post suggests that the inspiration for the style may be the triquetra or Celtic Knot. 
The Princess carried her Grace Han ‘Love Letter’ Top-Handle handbag ($3071). 
We saw the return of the Princess’s Ralph Lauren boots. 
The gloves worn by the Princess are the Imogen Merino Wool pair ($179) by Cornelia James. 
NOTE: The post originally said the gloves looked like the Cornelia James Alice style, but that information was incorrect. The good folks at Cornelia James let me know they are the Imogen style.
We don’t know who made the scarf worn today, although several have suggested a style by Pickett London, but it isn’t easy to determine without seeing more of the scarf.
The Princess brought back a pair of Kiki McDonough earrings featuring green amethysts, green tourmalines, and diamonds. 
She also wore the Shamrock Brooch owned by the Guards and loaned to royal women taking part in ceremonial duties. In these photos, you can just see the textured leaves and the emerald in the center.
It has previously been worn by the Queen Mother and Princess Anne.
Here is a montage showing all of the ensembles worn by the Princess for St. Patrick’s Day. 
This is for all those celebrating the day!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day☘️☘️
From Ireland to the world, iconic landmarks are lighting up green to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day! ✨ From sculptures to skyscrapers, the global glow of green reminds us of the connection, culture, and craic that bring us all together today💚 pic.twitter.com/2mjNlOIVO5
— Discover Ireland (@DiscoverIreland) March 17, 2025
VIDEOS:
Coverage from ITN’s Royal Family Channel.
A video from Forces News.
The Daily Record offers about one minute of coverage in this video.
