The Princess of Wales braved sub-zero conditions on Salisbury Plain today for her first official engagement with the 1st Battalion Irish Guards since becoming Royal Colonel of the regiment.
The Princess succeeds her husband in the role (William is now Colonel of the Welsh Guards in his capacity as the new Prince of Wales). Prince William was made colonel of the regiment in May 2011; it was his first honorary position in the army. As you all remember, the Prince opted to wear the Irish Guards tunic for the royal wedding. Of course, engagements with the Irish Guards are a staple on William and Kate's calendar. We normally see them attend the annual St Patrick's Day parade and present shamrock. Should the Princess continue to do so this year, we'll see her attend her first parade as Royal Colonel on the 17th.
The Ministry of Defence said: "Though harsh winds blew across the Plain, stinging faces and fingers with cold, nothing could lessen the pleasure and enthusiasm of the Irish Guardsmen as they showed The Princess what they have been doing recently on operational duties across the world. The Irish Guards are known for their charm and bright humour and smiles soon wreathed every face."
Whilst the snowy conditions certainly made for wonderful photos, it must have been bitingly chilly out there today.
The visit coincided with International Women's Day, a point correctly noted by Irish Guards Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel James Aldridge who said after the engagement: "It is particularly special and fitting on International Women’s Day that we get to welcome HRH the Princess of Wales into the Irish Guards family as our new Regimental Colonel. It is a real honour for the young guardsmen to meet their Royal Colonel in the field here on Salisbury Plain and demonstrate a few of our basic operational skills."
The regiment said, in a press release: "The Irish Guards, formed by Queen Victoria in 1900, are experts in infantry combat. Their specialisms include reconnaissance, engaging enemy troops with machine guns and mortars, deploying their snipers with laser-like accuracy and anti-tank operations.
"Guardsmen from Number One and Number Two Company told her of some of the extraordinary and life-changing experiences they have had while recently deployed in East Africa. Some had been involved in Counter Poaching operations, where they worked closely with Park Rangers in Zambia to protect wildlife and prevent international criminal activity. Others have been involved in helping allied nations prevent conflict and terrorist insurgency in areas of serious political and economic instability in the region. The Irish Guards are also currently working as part of an international military training team here in the UK, training Ukrainian Armed Forces with the basic combat infantry skills they will need to defend their homeland. Soldiers from Number Three Company demonstrated two of the elements they are using on the Ukrainian Recruits’ training course. The first was a demonstration of Counter-Explosive Ordnance which showed life-saving de-mining skills; the second was an impressively realistic casualty extraction battle exercise."
The Princess was briefed on the regiment's operational capabilities by Regimental Lieutenant Colonel of the Irish Guards, Major General Christopher Ghika and the Commanding Officer Irish Guards, Lieutenant Colonel James Aldridge.
The Ministry of Defence continued: "They explained that The Irish Guards are part of the British Army’s 11th Security Force Assistance Brigade which was formed in 2021 to train, advise and assist foreign forces. Routinely deployed around the world, Security Force Assistance units help prevent conflict and instil resilience at an early stage when danger threatens, by enhancing the capacity and capabilities of allied and partner nations."
Kate spent time with men and women from all ranks of the regiment, all of whom were delighted to welcome her to 'The Micks' family.
The Princess participated in active training exercises. During a casualty simulation exercise, complete with gunfire, fake blood, and very realistic wounds, Kate was shown how to carry out battlefield casualty drills to deliver care to injured soldiers.
Those present from the regiment described the visit as a "dramatic introduction" for their new Royal Colonel. They were deeply impressed by Kate's "hands on" attitude throughout the day.
A video from the day.
The Princess donned camouflage and winter staples for the outing.
The Princess sported her G-Star skinny cargo trousers. The trousers are described: "These G-Shape cargo pants offer a high waist on a skinny fit. The shaped waistband wraps around the waist to eliminate gaps. Deep pockets with a flap are added to the thigh and offer hidden snap closures. Additional inset front pockets are combined with a single zipper pocket at the backside."
Below, Kate wearing them in Belize last March.
As a veteran, I loved this post and enjoyed seeing Kate engaged with the activities. As Elsa would sing, “the cold never bothered me anyway,” it clearly did not bother Kate! Well done!!
ReplyDeleteThat's great! That would make a great video with that song:) She does look like she can push through anything.
DeleteThank you for your service, Florida Girl !
DeleteGreat comment FloridaGirl & thank you for your service! I feel like it is obvious from the pictures that Kate was totally eager to show her love for outdoors and fitness/training. I think she is very disciplined, precise and fearless and maybe if her life had gone differently over 20 years ago I could really see her having a military career now. Good to have her as a princess and colonel now! Side note, how can one look so good in camo, lol.
DeleteElla
She even looks great in camouflage. Nice to see her out and about with the Irish Guards today. It does look bleak, very cold at the moment. Looking forward to seeing her meeting them again on St Patrick's Day. S.😃.
ReplyDeleteAgreed anon 2107. Does anyone know if Kate is going to wear a uniform if she attends St Patrick's Day parade?
DeleteElla
It's very much going to be a case of 'wait and see' with the uniform. I'm hoping we see the Princess attend the parade.
DeleteI think something major would have to happen for her not to be there. That or sickness. S.😃.
DeleteThank you Charlotte for your reply! Personally I hope for both the attendance and the uniform :-) Ella
DeleteStunning!Well done Kate!!
ReplyDeleteVery well done but unless she had tights on under her pants those are not a good cold weather choice. Great that she was very hands on in this engagement. Thank you for the post.Ali
ReplyDeleteWhat a great engagement for Kate. She looked relaxed in conversation with all, and I've no doubt that her active participation on such a bleak day will have been much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteWonderful engagement to learn more with her new role! She looks great and the snow makes for beautiful pictures! Thanks Charlotte for your post. sue from IL
ReplyDeleteA French braid!? Loving it!
ReplyDeleteIt is quite something that it happens to be International Women's Day! Well Done Kate!! :)
ReplyDeletethe pincers of wales She even looks great in camouflage. Nice too her rocking the military ground especially thy she and prince of wales are leading the whole regiment
ReplyDeleteShe is always hands-on and likes to learn new things at each engagement . I’m glad she did this.
ReplyDeleteExcellent work by the Princess, very impressive. To me this is the kind of stuff that matters. Out in the snow, taking part in the activities, active training session, first aid lesson, this is very inspirational. Showing what the soldiers do in their training, prep session at a elite level. The soldiers certainly have my respect, they do a sensational job.
ReplyDeleteAgreed Ava, this is exactly what matters!
DeleteGosh, she looks fantastic. Loving the French braid!! She is beautiful in any hat! Thanks Charlotte!
ReplyDeleteJoanne in CA
I wonder if it is possible for Kate to wear the Irish Guard uniform now that she is their colonel? Or is that reserved for people who have trained, I have no idea. Whilst it would be a shame to no longer see her in green each year, I feel it would bring a gravity to her role.
ReplyDeleteErin
Princess anne wears military uniform on some occasions and as far as i know has not served in the forces
DeleteAs honorary colonel I think she is allowed to wear their uniform, but I have a feeling we won’t ever see Kate in uniform. Respecting the fact that while she has military links now, she was never military herself. Sometimes just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.
DeleteVery excited to read this post and can't think of a better introduction for Kate in her new responsibilities. She really does seem quite unflappable! Absolutely love her camo look and think it would have looked especially great with a Irish Guard beret! The styling of her hair in a french braid was very smart, and happy for the photo that actually showed it off! Looking forward to St. Patrick's day and wondering what she will wear. Not sure if you know Charlotte but does this honorary appointment mean she will wear a uniform, similar to what Princess Anne does? Very curious.
ReplyDeleteHave me ever seen her in a French braid before? M from Canada
ReplyDeleteWow! Princess Kate means business!
ReplyDeleteDon’t mess with her! ❤️❤️❤️
Love to look!
Simply magical!
Impressive engagement, but how does she manage to look so good in those circumstances?
ReplyDeleteLike was said, she can even make an army uniform look good.
ReplyDeleteSomeone somewhere suggested that William, though heir to the throne, shouldn’t have felt ‘compelled’ to leave what he enjoyed doing in order to take on royal duties. I somehow don’t get the sense that they are kicking and screaming about having to do these, but are appreciative of the platform afforded to them to highlight the good work done across the board - whether by the military, professionals or charity workers.
Thank you once again for this post. I’m on bed having suffered a small injury in my spine. So I’ve had the joy of commenting little bit.
One more thing … I only stumble upon the Royal Decade posts. For instance, the link to the post on Princess Margaret & Dior was at the bottom of the previous Chronicling post, and so I was able to find it. Will you be posting the link to that every time you upload one? Or how can I look for it?
Thank you.
Hello, thank you so much for your interest. I will be including links but to catch up on everything here is a link to the blog https://theroyaldecade.blogspot.com/
DeleteI liked the braided plait hairdo - very practical for the conditions.
ReplyDeleteDitto Trickymum! :) Zora from Prague
DeletePrincess Catherine is truly an example of passionate, hard working royal. I admire her very much.
ReplyDeleteSuch a hard-working Princess; always giving her all for crown & country!
ReplyDeleteHi I just wanted to ask why there is not anymore access to the archive from 2011 and other older posts. It's nice looking back at the beginning of their wedding. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHello, I am gradually re-adding archived posts. Changing the site name turned out to be more problematic than I anticipated. Thank you for your patience :)
DeleteThank you. Love reading the blog. Keep up the good work.
DeleteWell, there's not a lot to say about camouflage, but I really love the sweater. I've bought very few things I've seen the Princess and the Duchess of Sussex wearing, but I may have to go on the hunt for that item.
ReplyDeleteI like the French braid, too. It manages to represent both practicality and style, which is no easy feat.
I love this - she looks amazing.
ReplyDeleteLiterally the other day I was wondering why Kate had never worn a French braid and here she is wearing one. Practical and chic!
ReplyDelete