“Are you excited?” Kate asked Vienna, before telling her she had “beautiful hair” and applauding when the little girl twirled in her blue dress. Kate laughed as she pulled Vienna to her feet and was joined by another girl, Sergeant English’s daughter, Mila, three. Seamus received a sprig of shamrock from the princess during the parade, which she pinned to his red coat. Her husband is now colonel of the Welsh Guards, the King is colonel of the Coldstream Guards, the Queen is colonel of the Grenadier Guards, and the Duke of Edinburgh is colonel of the Scots Guards. Now coming to the end of its 125th anniversary year, the Irish Guards regiment was founded by Queen Victoria and has played a key role in Operation Interflex, a UK-led programme which provides battlefield skills training to Ukrainian soldiers.

Source: The Times March 17, 2026 15:27 UTC