Princess Kate Middleton reportedly made sure Irish Guards enjoyed their share of merriment on St. Patrick’s Day despite her absence from the festivities.
The 42-year-old royal, who is currently recovering from abdominal surgery, was unable to attend parade celebrations on Sunday, March 17. In lieu of her presence, Kate paid her respects by footing the soldiers’ £2,000 bill (about $2,500) at the regimental bar in Aldershot, U.K., according to a report from the Daily Mail.
It’s only fitting that Kate chipped in for the post-parade celebration. The princess was named honorary Colonel of the Irish Guards by King Charles III in December 2022, a title previously held by her husband, Prince William. Kate and William, 41, have been a frequent presence at the St. Patrick’s Day parade through the years, with the Princess of Wales often handing out shamrock sprigs to guards.
Despite their absence from the festivities, the royal couple paid tribute to the holiday via Instagram on Monday, March 18, sharing a video of the Irish Guards prepping for the big day. “Happy St Patrick’s Day! Here’s a sneak peek of the @irishguards rehearsing for their annual parade,” read the caption of their post. “Sláinte to all those celebrating today! 🇮🇪.”
Kensington Palace announced in January that Kate underwent a “planned” surgery and would be taking a break from her royal duties until after Easter. With many details still unknown about the procedure, Kate’s lack of public appearances has sparked widespread concern. More speculation bubbled up when Kate released a digitally altered photo on Mother’s Day, prompting several news agencies to receive a “kill notification” to pull the image from their websites.
Kate addressed the editing in a statement, writing via X, “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day.”
Though Kate has been spotted on a few occasions throughout March — most recently during an outing to the Windsor Farm Shop on Monday — none of the sightings have put a stop to chatter surrounding her well-being. Some of Kate’s staffers “haven’t been able to see or speak to her,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly this month, adding that the palace is “very hush-hush” about the whole situation.
“They didn’t even know about the surgery until it was announced, so it’s caught them off guard,” the insider claimed. “Only a few people know what’s really going on, and they’re tight-lipped.”
As the rumors continue, Kate quietly returned to work after St. Patrick’s Day by tackling a childcare campaign. Funded by The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, the initiative seeks to improve detection of social and emotional development in young children. Kate was reportedly inspired to develop the project after seeing a similar system during a royal visit to Denmark.
Kensington Palace has confirmed to Us on Thursday, March 21, that “the princess has been kept updated throughout the process.”
