Princess of Ales! Kate buys a round for the Irish Guards at St Patrick’s Day parade

17 March 2025, 14:43 | Updated: 17 March 2025, 15:41

The Princess of Wales enjoyed a sip of Guinness as she joined the Irish Guards to celebrate St Patrick's Day and mark the regiment's 125th anniversary.

She put drinks behind the bar for guardsmen and enjoyed a toast inside the Wellington Barracks in Westminster.

Revealing she had put money behind the bar, the Princess said: “It’s the least I can do.”

Before the parade, Kate, dressed in a bottle-green coat and percher hat, presented operational medals to soldiers recently deployed in Iraq, recognising their service overseas.

Kate seen with a Guinness as she marks 125th anniversary of Irish Guards on St Patrick’s Day visit

She also awarded long service and good conduct medals to two soldiers during a ceremony in the officers' mess.

The princess then joined the regiment for their traditional parade, taking her place on the saluting dais as soldiers from Number 9 Company, Number 12 Company and the Rear Operations Group marched onto the parade square, led by their Irish wolfhound mascot, Turlough Mor.

Following tradition, Kate handed out sprigs of shamrock to officers, warrant officers and the mascot.

Huge crowds braved the biting cold to gather at the gates of Wellington Barracks and catch a glimpse of the ceremony.

Kate presents sprigs of shamrock to members of the Irish Guards on St Patrick's Day

Kate, who is colonel of the regiment, missed the Guards' celebrations last year after being diagnosed with cancer.

Meanwhile, officers from the regiment deployed in eastern England paused their training of Ukrainian troops to present shamrocks to their recruits as part of Operation Interflex, a UK-led programme providing battlefield skills to Ukrainian soldiers.

The Irish Guards have played a key role in the programme, which has trained more than 45,000 Ukrainian recruits since Russia's full-scale invasion.

During the parade, a tribute was paid to soldiers stationed in eastern England, with Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Ben Irwin-Clark describing St Patrick's Day as "a wonderful opportunity to strengthen the friendships that are so fundamental to our regimental ethos and identity".

After the parade, Kate posed for official photographs with the regiment.

She laughed and joked with soldiers as two children playfully held up the pictures, before joining soldiers in the junior ranks' cookhouse, where she enjoyed a half pint of Guinness.

Nursing the drink, she chatted with soldiers about their experiences on deployment.

She said: "Being able to manage that work-life balance - it's tough."

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."

Kate later visited the sergeants' mess, where she met families of soldiers and heard about their experiences.

She told Corporal Adam Hamilton, from Australia, about her fondness for the country.

She said: "I loved our trip to Australia.

"There are so many opportunities now to travel.

"We tend to go further afield when it's official visits.

"George always finds it fascinating that we've been there."

The princess last made an official royal visit to the country in 2014 with William and George - who was just a baby at the time.

Adam's wife, Grace Hamilton, said afterwards: "We spoke about Australia.

"She looks into your eyes when she speaks to you.

"It just shows she's giving you her full attention."

The day's celebrations concluded with a toast in the officers' and sergeants' mess, where Lt Col Irwin-Clark praised the regiment's "commitment to operations worldwide" and reflected on its proud 125-year history.

In 2023, Kate visited the Irish Guards on St Patrick's Day with the Prince of Wales at Mons Barracks in Aldershot, Hampshire, after taking over the role of colonel from William.

Last year, the guardsman gave three cheers for their absent colonel while the princess was away from public duties after abdominal surgery.