Tuesday marked St Patrick's Day and The Princess of Wales celebrated the occasion with a visit to Mons Barracks in Aldershot, as where she is Colonel of the Irish Guards. As she does each year, Kate handed out shamrocks and watched a parade before meeting servicemen and women and their families. However, there were two guests in particular who The Princess took a special shine to.
In an adorable video, the Princess of Wales can be seen bending down to hold hands and talk to a little girl with blonde hair. The child nods along with Kate, while her green button-up dress and hair ribbon mirror Kate's own monochrome outfit. Then, a second little girl bounds over, clearly excited by the day. Without hesitating, Kate takes hold of her hands to play with the child, as she bounces up and down joyfully. The Princess doesn't stop smiling throughout the exchanges, and it seems the little girls truly stole Kate's heart. You can see the video, shared by a royal fan account, below:
The Princess' late mother-in-law Princess Diana is often remembered for her gentle nature and playfulness with children, and Kate's exchange on St Patrick's Day mirrored scenes the former Princess of Wales was also known for.
Photographs of Kate's visit were also shared to the official social media accounts she shares with Prince William. In the images, Kate can be seen presenting sprigs of shamrocks to service people, and even attaching some to the collar of Irish Wolfhound 'Turlough Mór' (aka Seamus), who is the regimental mascot of the Irish Guards. The four-legged team member attends the event every year, and was dressed in his smartest red coat for the official royal visit.
On the day, Kate was wearing a double-breasted midi coat by Alexander McQueen and a matching hat. She added black accessories with a cinching belt, black boots and a scarf to keep out the chill. The Princess wore her hair up in an intricate plated bun, which let her earrings take centre-stage. She opted for pair of emerald and diamond droplet earrings by Asprey. The earrings are the Halo Emerald and Diamond Earrings and feature four emeralds and a total of 72 diamonds.
Kate's visit was a solo occasion as, while she was in Aldershot, Prince William was having a rather different day in South Yorkshire - on the back of a tandem bike with Greg James. The Radio 1 DJ has been completing a grueling bike ride for Comic Relief (Radio 1’s Longest Ride for Red Nose Day) and Prince William jumped onboard to help boost him up some hills.
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Speaking in a release about the day, Greg said it had been a 'surprise' to see His Majesty turn up to join him. 'I’d joked when I recorded a recent radio show with him that he was very welcome to turn up and do a stint on the tandem but I didn’t think he’d actually call my bluff,' Greg said, adding that it was, 'so kind of him to spend some time amplifying our message of making sure we look after the most vulnerable people in society. He didn’t have to jump on and stare at my back for 40 mins but I’m so grateful that he did. Unforgettable.'
To support Greg's challenge for Comic Relief, head to comicrelief.com/ride
