Irish Guards gave a special tribute to their honorary Colonel, Kate Middleton, during their annual St. Patrick's Day parade.
On Sunday, March 17, Kensington Palace posted a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, showing Irish Guards raising their hats and giving three cheers to the Princess of Wales, who last year attended the event for the first time as the Guards' Colonel after taking over the role previously held by her husband, Prince William.
This year, Princess Kate could not attend the parade, as she continues to remain hidden from the public eye following a reportedly "planned" abdominal surgery and brief hospitalization.
According to statement from Kensington Palace, the Princess of Wales is scheduled to return to her royal duties after Easter.
"Happy St Patrick’s Day!" the place captioned the video of Irish Guards preparing for the holiday parade. "Here’s a sneak peak of the @irish_guards rehearsing for their annual parade. Sláinte to all those celebrating today!"
Last year, while attending as the honorary Colonel of the Irish Guards for the first time and following the death of her mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth, the Princess of Wales told attendees she "couldn't be prouder to stand in front of you here today" the Daily Mail reports.
"It really is truly an honor to be your Colonel," she said at the time. "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."
Princess Kate went on to say that she was "hugely impressed" by the Irish Guards' "insistence that nothing is as bad as it seems, and—most of all—your boundless, irreverent glorious sense of humor."
She also thanked her husband, "Colonel William," telling the crowd that he "always talked about his fierce pride for this Regiment."
"I know he will continue to support us all in the work we do," she added.
This year, Lady Ghika, wife of the Regimental Lieutenant Colonel, Major General Sir Christopher Ghika, stepped in for Kate Middleton to perform the ceremonial duties of the honorary Colonel.
Lady Ghika presented shamrocks to officers, warrant officers and the Irish Guards official mascot, Seamus the dog, as in tradition during the annual event.
Controvery and speculation have only mounted regarding Kate Middleton's health, whereabouts and marriage after Kensington Palace announced she had underwent a "planned" abdominal surgery in January and would be stepping away from royal duties until after Easter.
On Mother's Day in the UK, Kensington Palace released what it claimed to be the first official photo of the Princess of Wales following her hospitalization. It was later pulled by several major news outlets following the revelation that it had been digitally altered, prompting the palace to issue a rare explanation and apology.
"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," the statement, said to be from the Princess of Wales, said. "I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C."
Kensington Palace has refused to release the original, unedited image.
Most recently, royal sources and friends of Prince William and Kate Middleton claim the Princess of Wales is considering publicly addressing the controversy.
“They are at their most open when out interacting with members of the public and I can see a world in which the princess might discuss her recovery out on engagements," a source close to the royals recently told The Sunday Times. "If she was going to do it, that’s how she would do it.”
