+37
Difficult job: The sprig kept slipping off whenever Domhnall, the Irish Guards' official mascot, moved
+37
Still trying: The three-year-old dog, clad in his crimson uniform, stood patiently while the Duchess attempted to fix things
+37
Nearly there: Domhnall's handler, Drummer Dean Kirk, and Quartermaster Major Paul Fagin had to step in to help out
After
spending last week meeting artists in Margate and the cast of Downton
Abbey in London, the Duchess of Cambridge was back on military duty
today as she joined Prince William for the traditional St. Patrick's Day
visit to the Irish Guards.
Kate,
33, is eight months pregnant but showed no signs of fatigue as she
arrived looking every inch the yummy mummy in a brown coat by Catherine
Walker, a hat by the Duchess of Cornwall's favourite milliner, Lock
& Co and brown suede shoes by Emmy London.
The
Duchess was there to present the Irish Guards with their St. Patrick's
Day shamrock but ran into trouble when it came to pinning a posy onto
regimental mascot, a three-year-old Irish wolfhound named Domhnall.
+37
Struggles with shamrock: Not even the Duke of Cambridge was immune to struggling with the shamrock
Big job:
The Duchess has been conducting the ceremony since 2012 and follows in
the Queen Mother and the Princess Royal's footsteps
+37
Tradition: The Duchess of Cambridge
presented the 1st Battalion, the Irish Guards, with their traditional St
Patrick's Day shamrocks
+37
Are those for me? A clearly delighted Duchess of Cambridge was presented with a posy by a trio of little girls
+37
One is amused: The Duchess burst into a fit of laughter during a group photo with the Irish Guards at the end of the ceremony
+37
All smiles: Both Duke and Duchess of Cambridge beamed as they took part in the shamrock presentation ceremony
+37
+37
Handing over: The Duchess was completing one of her final engagements before the birth of her second child next month
+37
Looking good: The Duchess appeared every inch the yummy mummy to be in her Catherine Walker coat and Lock & Co hat
+37
Having a chat: The Duke of Cambridge bends down to chat with a trio of little girls during the St. Patrick's Day ceremony
After
the ceremony the Duke, in a frock coat with ceremonial sword, and
Duchess met soldiers and their families before sitting for group
photographs with the officers' and sergeants' mess.
The
Duchess, clearly on cheerful form, couldn't resist a joke during the
group photos and was pictured trying to stifle a giggle - much to the
amusement of the men around her.
William,
meanwhile, presented a Little Hero medal, specially created for the
children of service personnel who served in Afghanistan, to six-year-old
Alex Rowland. His father, Staff Sergeant Craig Rowland, who is with the
Royal Logistics Corps, served there last year attached to the Irish
Guards.
'I
gave him some crayons for Prince George and a bib for the baby,' said
Alex. 'He said: "Thank you very much, that's very kind".'
One excited mother got a kiss from William to add to the royal peck she got from his dad Prince Charles 13 years ago.
Susan
Crittenden, who comes from an Army family and lives at a nearby
barracks, showed William a photo she has of her, holding her younger son
Reece, then two-and-a-half and now 15, in her arms when greeting
Charles during a visit to Caterham barracks.
'I
told him I had a kiss from Prince Charles and he said "my goodness".
And when I asked him for a kiss I got one,' she said. 'He was very
charming.'
Mrs
Crittenden, 49, was also impressed by the Duchess and described her as
'radiant'. 'I can't believe how she does it standing up all the time, in
high heels, when you're pregnant like that,' she added.
+37
Making an entrance: Prince William is the battalion's royal colonel and came dressed in the Irish Guards' ceremonial uniform
+37
Taking the salute: During the parade, the men of the Irish Guards saluted their royal colonel, Prince William
+37
Spectacular: Pinned to the lapels of
Kate's coat was the Irish Guards Brooch, a Cartier piece that once
belonged to the Queen Mother
+37
In charge: William has been the Guards' royal colonel since 2011 and wore their uniform for his wedding the same year
+37
Quick march! Irish wolfhound Domhnall enjoys his moment in the spotlight as he is paraded past the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
+37
Inspecting the troops: The Duchess of Cambridge walks through Parade Square at the Mons Barracks in Aldershot
+37
Making the introductions: The Duke and Duchess spent several minutes chatting with the men from the battalion
+37
+37
Tasty: The Duke of Cambridge enjoyed a pint of Guinness at a reception after the ceremony. The Duchess stuck to water
When
she met young cadets, Kate expressed her delight that more young girls
were getting involved. 'She was saying how it's good to see more girls
and women in the cadet force,' said Erin Nelson, 17, who had come over
from Donaghadee, Northern Ireland for the parade.
'She was asking if we saw it as a future career. She was really lovely.'
Later,
the royal couple joined soldiers for a reception where the Duke tucked
into a pint of Guinness. The Duchess, unsurprisingly, chose to stick to a
glass of water.
The
parade this year was much smaller than in past years as the battalion
currently has troops deployed around the world, although they were not
forgotten - special packages of the fresh plant were flown out to those
abroad, including to the Falkland Islands and Oman.
The
Irish Guards have been a part of the British army since 1900, when they
were founded by a royal decree from Queen Victoria to commemorate the
Irishmen who died fighting during the Boer War.
Since
then, the Guards, who, like all Guards regiments boast the Queen as
their colonel-in-chief, have fought in all the major 20th century
conflicts and, more recently, led the British advance into Basra during
the Iraq War in 2003.
The
Irish Guards were also among the last units to be deployed to
Afghanistan and in 2013, were drafted in to play a mentoring role for
local Afghan troops before being returned to the UK in time for the
Queen's birthday parade.
Both
William and Kate attended a service at St. Paul's Cathedral in which
the bravery of the men who fought in Afghanistan were remembered by a
mixture of royals, politicians and servicemen.
The
ceremonies last week and today are among the final engagements for the
Duchess of Cambridge ahead of the birth of her second child next month,
although she will conduct further official visits later this week.
+37
+37
Surrounded: The Duchess was surrounded by soldiers, most of whom were wearing sprigs of shamrock on their berets
+37
Enjoying the day: The Duchess was all smiles as she met the men and women of the Irish Guards in Aldershot
+37
+37
Line-up: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge chat to Irish Guards veterans and their families during their visit to Aldershot
+37
Pleased to see you: The soldiers of the 1st Battalion, the Irish Guards appeared pleased to see their royal visitors
+37
Atten-shun! The Irish Guards' band
plays during the St. Patrick's Day parade which took place on the Mons
Barracks' Parade Square
+37
Big day: The parade takes place on St. Patrick's Day and has been part of Irish Guards tradition for more than 100 years
All together: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge pose for a photo with the Irish Guards and their Irish wolfhound, Domhnall