The Prince and Princess of Wales enjoyed one of the engagements that have become a permanent fixture in their calendar.
Yesterday, they joined the 1st Battalion Irish Guards for their annual St Patrick’s Day parade and it was a momentous day for Kate, who took the salute for the first time.
The event is one that Prince William and Kate have attended many times throughout the years – with Kate nearly always wearing Ireland’s national colour of green.
However, in 2013 she almost ended up red-faced after suffering a hugely embarrassing moment during the event.
At the parade, Kate was in charge of handing out traditional shamrocks, which are passed to the soldiers.
But one year, while pregnant with Prince George, she almost tumbled to the ground after getting her shoe’s heel caught in a drain cover.
She tried to get her heel to budge after it became stuck but was unable to free herself without using her hands.
Luckily, her husband William was on hand to help Kate steady herself without losing her shoe.
She was then able to bend down to free her footwear, before carrying on with the ceremony.
Kate’s appearance at the Irish Guards’ St Patrick’s Day parade yesterday came just weeks after she ditched her heels and donned camouflage as she joined them in snowy conditions for battlefield training.
Kate paid a visit to the Salisbury Plain Training Area in Wiltshire to meet with members of the Guards for the first time since becoming their Colonel.
Despite the wintry weather the princess wrapped up warm for the visit and got stuck in with battlefield casualty drills and could be seen assisting the soldiers.
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And she said that taking part in military first aid exercises complete with fake gunfire and explosions really brought the realities of their training “to life”.
Kate enthusiastically asked questions about the different first aid methods used by medics in the Army as she tended to the fake injury during the casualty simulation.
It was a hands-on training experience as she held the soldier’s leg while she was taught how to wrap the wound and check his vital signs.
As she placed the tourniquet on his calf, which is used to stop life-threatening bleeding, the Princess apologized and said “it’s the first time I’ve done this”.
English