Kate Middleton was a vision in turquoise today as she attended the annual St Patrick’s Parade in Aldershot wearing a structured Catherine Walker coat.
The St Patrick’s Day tradition for many is a pint of Guinness, but for the Prince and Princess of Wales, it means spending the day with the Irish Guards.
William, as the outgoing Colonel of the regiment, attended alongside his wife, the incoming Colonel – and it was a big moment for Kate.
Today marks her first time at the event in the role, with all eyes on the Princess as she presents sprigs of shamrock to the officers and guardsmen, who’ll then issue them along the ranks.
The Princess kept up her tradition of wearing a gold Cartier shamrock brooch that reportedly belongs to the Irish Guards. Its first outing was in 2011, and Kate has been the exclusive public wearer of the piece ever since.
Kate tends to favour emerald for her St Patrick’s ensembles, inspired by Ireland’s signature green hue, said to be a lucky colour on the day.
At last year’s parade she sported a Laura Green frock coat, not dissimilar to the Hobbs and Catherine Walker numbers from earlier events.
Following this year’s parade – which will conclude with a royal salute and march-past – Catherine will the salute as the new Colonel, before the couple meet with the Irish Guards Association.
Kate will then be tasked with inspecting the front rank while William inspects the second rank, before the visit finishes with a toast to the pair.
Buckingham Palace announced in December that the colonelcy would be passed to the Princess, as William was given the title of Colonel of the Welsh Guards when his father, King Charles III, ascended the throne.
Since then, Kate has effortlessly taken to the honorary appointment, recently visiting the 1st Battalion Irish Guards in a drill exercise on Salisbury Plain, where she helped administer first aid to the troops.
For this, she donned army camouflage, a far cry from today’s more formal look.
Kate’s exact turquoise number appears to be custom made and isn’t available online (sighs). But if you’d like to bag a similar look, here are our top suggestions:
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