Kate Middleton has missed one of her traditional holiday outings amid her recovery from abdominal surgery.
While the Princess of Wales, 42, continued her recovery away from the public eye (she is not expected to return to royal duties until after Easter), the Irish Guards held their traditional St. Patrick’s Day parade. Patrick. Last year, Princess Kate attended the ceremony for the first time since she was appointed an honorary colonel of the Irish Guards, but before that she often attended the event with her husband, Prince William, who held the post before her.
Despite her absence, the Irish Guards kept the Princess of Wales in mind during the festivities. A source told PEOPLE ahead of the event that they plan to salute Kate three times at the end of their parade at Mons Barracks in Hampshire.
Princess Kate’s traditional role of handing out sprigs of shamrock for guards to attach to their uniforms will this year be performed by Lady Ghika, wife of the regiment’s colonel, Major General Sir Christopher Ghika. The Colonel of the Regiment, Major General Sir Christopher Ghika, will salute.
As well as handing out shamrocks, Kate usually marks the St Patrick’s Day parade by welcoming Irish wolfhound Turlough Mor, who is known as Seamus, toasting with a pint of Guinness (or water during her pregnancy years!) and as the Colonel, receiving a royal salute.
Prince William and Kate Middleton drink Guinness at the 2023 St. Patrick’s Day Parade Chris Jackson – WPA Pool/Getty Images Shamrock Chic! See Kate Middleton’s best St. Patrick’s Day looks through the years
In an Instagram post on Sunday, William and Kate marked their March vacation.
“Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Here’s a sneak peek of the @irishguards rehearsing for their annual parade. Kudos to all those celebrating today! 🇮🇪,” the duo captioned the post.
The Irish Guards will step into the spotlight again in June when they perform in the annual King Charles Birthday Parade. Princess Kate is listed on the official military website as the host of the annual troop review at the Horse Guards Parade in London on June 8, the weekend before the parade, sparking excitement about her return to public duties after the operation. However, Kate’s office at Kensington Palace said they had not been consulted about her appearance and her name was quickly removed.
With Princess Kate recovering and King Charles, 75, undergoing cancer treatment, it has not yet been confirmed which members of the royal family will be present on the day.
Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to receive the latest news on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/princess-of-wales-st-patricks-day-022723-1-01eed982c4ac4b4bb02fe27dce68717f.jpg)
Kate Middleton on St. Patrick’s Day through the years. Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images (2); Paul Vicente – WPA Pool/Getty Images Kate Middleton’s surgery recovery and photo controversy: Everything you need to know
The Princess of Wales has not made a public appearance since Christmas as she recovers from an operation that took place on January 16. Some are speculating that Princess Kate will make her first post-procedure outing by joining the royal family for their traditional Easter church outing, which falls on March 31 this year.
Kensington Palace said in the first statement about her surgery – and reiterated in a February 29 statement – that Princess Kate “is unlikely to return to public duties before Easter,” following medical advice.
Although the statement made it clear that the Princess of Wales will not have public duties until April, Easter is technically a private family event and not a duty, leaving the possibility of seeing Kate on the upcoming holiday open.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education