“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.”

That decree came in 1900, and this St. Patrick’s Day the Duchess of Cambridge was on hand to distribute shamrocks to 40 Irish Guard officers.

Anwar Hussein/Press Association

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