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William & Kate Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the Irish Guards

William and Kate marked a cold, rainy, blustery St. Patrick’s Day with the Irish Guards today.

It was the annual ceremony distributing shamrocks to the Irish Guards at Mons Barracks, Aldershot. For those unfamiliar with the Regiment, we share some background from the Ministry of Defence:

The regiment takes its motto, ‘Quis Separabit’ or ‘Who shall separate us?’ from the Order of St Patrick, an order of chivalry founded by George III.

As a Foot Guards Regiment the Irish Guards Regiment is involved in public and ceremonial duties at Buckingham Place, Windsor Castle, St James’s Palace and The Tower of London.

Readers may remember that Prince William is a Colonel of the Guards, it was the unit’s deep red uniform he wore on his wedding day. In this photo tweeted by the Aldershot News you see he wore the black No 1 uniform today, with thanks to Richard Palmer of the Express for sharing the actual name for that uniform style.

Aldershot News Twitter Feed

The Prince had a new insignia on that uniform, one marking an honor bestowed by the Queen: HM has made him an official Aide-de-Camp. More from the Telegraph:

The position has few duties but will be seen as symbolic of William’s growing role within the Royal Family.

The Court Circular stated that the Queen “has been pleased to appoint The Duke of Cambridge as a personal Aide-de-Camp to Her Majesty” with effect from today.

The distribution of shamrocks by a senior female member of the Royal Family began with a decree made in 1900:

“Her Majesty, the Queen, is pleased to order that in future, upon St Patrick’s Day, all ranks of her Irish regiments shall wear, as a distinction, a sprig of shamrock in their head dress to commemorate the gallantry of her Irish soldiers during the recent battles in South Africa.”

Some may recall that the Regiment’s Mascot, Conmael, received his own shamrocks from Kate last year. Conmael is now retired and there is a new Mascot, his name is Domhnall (pronounced Donal). This year Domnhall received his first official shamrocks, the Duchess pinned them to his collar.

In an earlier post we talked about the new Mascot; he is still just a puppy, today was his first official appearance.  David Steed has been training Domhnall for months.

After the ceremony, it was time for a group photo. 

The Duchess chatting with some of the youngsters who gave her flowers. 

Kate’s Emilia Wickstead coat (first seen last year on St. Patrick’s Day) has a fit and flare silhouette. This year the Duchess dispensed with the belt for obvious reasons, but the piece still worked. It was part of the designer’s Fall 2010 collection.

Kate added a black top underneath the Wickstead today, some think it is the turtleneck (called a polo neck in England) worn underneath her Luisa Spagnoli dress when at Saint Andrews, or the black dress worn when visiting Liverpool last February.

PA Wire/Victoria Murphy Twitter Feed (@QueenVicMirror)

Kate accessorized with pieces we have seen before, including the John Lock ‘Fairy Tale’ hat first worn when she visited Leicester last March (below right) with HM and Prince Phillip.

She also repeated her Episode ‘Angel’ heels (the style we show is leather, not the suede Kate wears) and her Cornelia James Black Wool Glove with Side Bow.

Episode ‘Angel’ Shoe & Cornelia James Short Wool Glove with Bow

Kate sported an elaborate updo.

The Duchess had on the gold shamrock pin traditionally worn for the day’s ceremonies. The brooch is actually owned by the regiment and loaned to those using it for events such as today’s ceremony. Previously it was worn by the late Queen Mother, as well as Princess Anne. She also wore the emerald and diamond earrings we first saw at the Natural History Museum engagement in November.

Things went very well despite the nasty weather, although Kate experienced one minor kerfluffle, something all of us have dealt with at one point or another: the dreaded heel-in-the-grate syndrome. Kate handled it with aplomb.

This was a very nice look for Kate. The coat worked as well with black accessories as it did with last year’s brown hat and heels.

In speaking with members of the Regiment Kate did share updates on the baby. Here is more via Victoria Murphy’s Twitter feed.

Victoria Murphy, The Mirror Twitter Feed (@QueenVicMurphy)

We leave you today with a photo that was just too cute to ignore. Kate made her first visit to the Guards with William back in June of 2011, she was wearing a McQueen fitted coat dress with a military influence. As part of a sewing challenge more than a year after that visit, a repliKate was made for a young lady by her mother.

Splash News/Froo & Boo Blog

We’ll see you back here on Tuesday when William and Kate visit the offices of Child Bereavement UK.

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Melanie

Sunday 31st of March 2013

Here's something kind of fun! Long before Kate Middleton and Emilia Wickstead, there was Jane Wyman starring in Torchy Blane Playing with Dynamite (Warner Brothers, 1939). I just happened to catch this film on TV recently, and the outfit Jane wears is the same one Kate wore for St. Patrick's Day; it's nearly an exact match for last year's outfit with the belt, nude nylons and hat. (However, Jane is wearing a tan coat instead of a green one). Here is the link so you can see a still photograph from the film. Sorry I could not get a still shot of the entire outfit.

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=torchy+blane+playing+with+dynamite&hl=en&sa=X&biw=1024&bih=502&tbm=isch&tbnid=L05hSOrW-9ZeBM:&imgrefurl=http://sharethefiles.com/forum/viewtopic.php%3Ff%3D94%26t%3D202759&docid=DkJce_HQDBOu-M&imgurl=http://www.stfimages.com/images/3LWb2.png&w=632&h=480&ei=Ae9YUeerNo3DiwKNtYGQCQ&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:21,s:0,i:156&iact=rc&dur=3949&page=2&tbnh=185&tbnw=258&start=9&ndsp=16&tx=148&ty=121

KathyUSA

Thursday 21st of March 2013

Why shouldn't Kate wear her green coat again? And why wouldn't she wear black shoes and hose? The black turtleneck (polo neck) was in honor of the cool weather, I assure you, not a fashion choice. Britain, like America, is in a deep recession. I would be appalled if Kate chose to be a clothes horse at the taxpayers' expense! And why moan around about this coat and tailoring? Today's young mothers, like Victoria Beckham, shamelessly wear tight, revealing knit dresses to the most formal occasions. They look grotesque. I do NOT understand the current craze for exposing oneself in the worst-looking condition a woman can be in. Yes, it's glorious condition, but do we all have to see it? Give us the old days of concealing maternity clothes! And William was too well-bred to bend down to help this athletic girl with her shoe. She's a graceful lady and he didn't want to make a mountain out of a molehill. They both have impeccable manners and dignity when those things are required!

katefanatic

Saturday 23rd of March 2013

I am so glad you posted your thoughts here, as I agree with all of them. I think it is silly to complain that she wore this coat again to the same event---and the addition of black accessories and updo keep it fresh and prevent it from being the exact same outfit. My husband would have done the same thing if I got my heel caught---quickly steadied me while I dealt with it myself. I also doubt that she actually re-tailored this dress---I think it is a wraparound fit (like a robe) and she simply adjusted the way it wraps, and then put the polo neck under it to deal with the cold.

Laura

Tuesday 19th of March 2013

You know it's funny, lately I have been thinking jeez she hardly even looks pregnant, but seeing pictures side by side of her wearing the St. Patrick's coat from pre-pregnancy and now, makes it much clearer. Especially with the neckline hitting so much lower and more open, making the turtleneck necessary for modesty. I loved the chocolate accessories so I can't say as I'm a huge fan of the black, but I understand the reason behind needing to change things up. I don't think its a big deal that she wore the same coat but it would have been strange if she wore an identical ensemble. (Which is a shame since I love the chocolate betty boop hat!)

Lauren

Monday 18th of March 2013

Well, given the various opinions about Kate's outfit, we can all agree that it is a challenge to dress the royal body in maternity wear. She's figuring it out, and she is not yet at the point in her pregnancy where she has to overhaul her entire wardrobe. I will defend Kate here. I agree with previous posters who believe that she has made smart choices to adapt her garments to her continuously changing shape.

Rachael

Monday 18th of March 2013

She looks lovely as always. I personally don't mind that she wore the same coat to the same event. It's the perfect coat for St. Patrick's Day. Also, "recycling" a coat is not like wearing the same dress over again to the same event (which would have been strange, if Kate had done that). But wearing the same coat? I don't see how that is even an issue.

I do prefer the coat with chocolate accessories, but I completely understand why she switched that up. It would have been much too similar. I would have liked to see it with perhaps some navy accessories. I think that might have looked better than black.

In terms of hair, I love when Kate wears her hair in an updo, but this one was really big. The huge bun in the back looked like a little too much. A smaller, neater bun would have done the trick!

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