This week, the Princess of Wales is getting ready for a very special occasion.
The royal will salute for the first time as Colonel of the Irish Guards on Friday when she pays a visit to Mons Barracks to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
Prince William, the retiring Colonel of the regiment, will be cheering her on from the sidelines.
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Princess Catherine will participate in the parade for the first time as a colonel.
She will also give the Irish Wolf Hound regimental mascot the customary sprigs of shamrock before presenting them to the officers and guardsmen who will distribute them along the ranks.
While The Prince inspects the second rank, The Princess will be invited to check out the front rank.
The parade will then come to an end with a march-past and a Royal Salute, which Catherine will perform as the new Colonel.
It happens less than two weeks after the Princess of Wales put on camouflage and braved the snow to participate with the Irish Guard in a battlefield drill on Salisbury Plain.
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The 1st Battalion Irish Guards came under enemy fire while they were on foot patrol in the training exercise. In the simulation, a soldier was shot in the lower left leg and had to be helped out of the area by his comrades.
Lance Corporal Jodie Newell received first aid assistance from the Princess, who also used a tourniquet to stop the bleeding on his lower left leg.
The soldier was then placed on a stretcher, where Catherine assisted in determining whether he had sustained any additional torso injuries.
Catherine’s first visit to Salisbury Plain as a Royal Colonel was enthusiastically welcomed by his battalion, according to Lieutenant Colonel Aldridge.
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“It is especially appropriate that a few of our female soldiers met such an inspiring female role model on International Women’s Day,” he said.
“Meeting their Royal Colonel in the field here on Salisbury Plain and showcasing a few of our fundamental operational skills is a real honor for all the guardsmen,” they said.
