Kate Middleton only became Princess Kate a few months ago, but she’s already adding yet another royal title to her collection.
King Charles named his daughter-in-law as the new honorary Colonel of the Irish Guards, a title previously held by her husband, Prince William. The appointment is a logical one for the princess as she has spent most of her St. Patrick’s Day holidays since marrying into the royal family in 2011 honoring that guard’s regiment. The annual celebration typically involves Kate and her husband traveling to Aldershot in Hampshire, England to take part in the town’s annual parade alongside the Irish Guards. Once there, they also salute the regiment, pass out shamrock boutonniéres, meet with the regiment’s mascot, an Irish wolfhound named Seamus, and celebrate with a Guinness toast.
Queen Elizabeth previously named Prince William to the role of Colonel of the Irish Guards in 2011, just two months before his wedding, which is why he wore the traditional red Irish Guards officer uniform for the Westminster Abbey ceremony. But under this new sovereign, the prince has also received a new title. King Charles named his son Colonel of the Welsh Guards, a role befitting of his other new title, the Prince of Wales. Charles’s wife Queen Consort Camilla also received the new title of Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, an honor that was previously removed from Prince Andrew by his late mother. This appointment comes after Andrew lost the title amid the scandal surrounding his relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
As part of this spate of announcements, King Charles also revealed that Trooping the Colour, the first public celebration of his birthday, will take place next year on June 17, six weeks after his coronation ceremony on May 6. The new monarch’s actual birthday is in November, but in keeping with Queen Elizabeth’s tradition, it will be celebrated by the nation as the kickoff to summer. The parade gets its name from the troops, the Household Division, that attend in their formal uniforms. It first began as a military exercise, but became a celebration for the sovereign in the 18th century during King George II’s reign. Under Queen Elizabeth, the event became one of the biggest celebrations of the year, featuring over 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses, and 400 musicians, and around 40 members of the royal family all gathered together on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
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