Gorgeous in green!
Kate Middleton kicked off her St. Patrick’s Day festivities right away Saturday when she set out to Aldershot, England (located 37 miles south of London) to charm Irish guards on her first solo military engagement.
Clad in a gorgeous emerald coat dress cinched at the waist with a black patent belt, the Duchess accessorized with a brown cap, matching pumps, a bloom of shamrocks pinned to her lapel and a clover pin that once belonged to The Queen Mother, Prince William‘s great-grandmother who passed away in 2002.
After presenting soldiers with a basket of shamrocks (a tradition that dates back to 1901), the 30-year-old royal got into the spirit with a sip of Harvey’s Bristol Creme sherry.
Her outing also included adorning the Regimental mascot Conmeal (a black dog) with a shamrock on his collar.
Kate is quite experienced with four-legged friends — she and William adopted a cocker spaniel puppy, Lupo, around Christmas last year.
“William and Catherine fell in love with the pup instantly and it wasn’t long before they decided to keep him,” a Palace source told Us Weekly of Middleton and her husband, who is currently away in the Falklands carrying out his responsibilities as a search-and-rescue pilot.
