Amid the never-ending discussions surrounding the absence of Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton in public, Kensington Palace celebrated St Patrick's Day on March 17.
In a video dropped by the official X (formerly Twitter) handle of The Prince and Princess of Wales, the Irish guards were seen talking about the historical significance of the special ceremony, hosted annually. For CSgt. John Hogan, St Patrick's Day “is important to the Irish Guards because it is an Irish regiment and it is built up of Irish families.”
According to another guard, the day commemorates “families coming together and bringing the whole regiment together” while celebrating their connections to Ireland. Captain Freddie Bradshaw stated that the St Patrick's Day parade was his “favourite part” of the celebrations. “It's an opportunity for us to get out in front of our families,” and enjoy it with them, he said. The captain added that the day brings the Irish personnel together. The specialty of the annual ceremony is to spend time with loved ones, especially because the Irish guards are often deployed overseas.
Happy St Patrick's Day! Here's a sneak peak of the @irish_guards rehearsing for their annual parade. Sláinte to all those celebrating today! ???????? pic.twitter.com/g45OPxB2Mc
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 17, 2024
On an ending note, one of the guards stated that St Patrick's Day makes him feel very proud that his family would be there to witness him and the others partaking in the parade and representing the battalion. Heaping praise on the regiment, he added that the establishment makes them feel that no matter where they are in the world, the guards would always be a part of the Irish tradition.
The St Patrick's Day celebrations come close on the heels of Kate Middleton's sudden disappearance from public outings. This marks her first absence in seven years from the grand festivities. She was last seen attending her royal duties on Christmas, 2023. Reportedly, the Princess of Wales underwent a “planned abdominal surgery" in January and was recovering from it.
On March 17, people were left concerned about Kate Middleton's whereabouts after Kensington Palace dropped a heavily photoshopped picture of her on X (formerly Twitter) with her three children — Prince George, Louis, and Princess Charlotte on Mother's Day, prompting a “kill notice” on the image. Kate, later, issued an apology for “any confusion” the photograph created the following day.
As per the latest developments, UK-based newspaper The Sun reported that Kate Middleton was spotted at her favourite farm on March 16 where she looked “happy, relaxed and healthy”.
Reportedly, the Princess would be resuming her royal duties on April 17.
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