Kate Middleton has missed out on her traditional outing at the St. Patrick’s Day parade amid her ongoing surgery recovery.
The Irish Guards held their annual parade on March 17 after naming the Princess as the honorary Colonel back in 2022.
Kate, who is not due to return to public duties until after Easter, attended the parade last year alongside her husband, Prince William.
Princess Kate’s traditional role of handing out shamrock sprigs for the guards to pin on their uniforms will be carried out this year by Lady Ghika, wife of the Regimental Lieutenant Colonel, Major General Sir Christopher Ghika.
Kate usually marks the St. Patrick’s Day parade by greeting Irish wolfhound Turlough Mor, who is known as Seamus, toasting with a pint of Guinness and as Colonel, receiving the royal salute.
The Prince and Princess took to their Instagram to mark the Irish holiday.
View this post on Instagram
They wrote: “Happy St Patrick’s Day! Here’s a sneak peak of the @irishguards rehearsing for their annual parade. Sláinte to all those celebrating today! 🇮🇪”
Kate’s absence comes after she recently returned home to Windsor after receiving abdominal surgery.
The 42-year-old was admitted to The London Clinic on January 16 for the planned procedure.
A spokesperson for Kensington Palace previously said that the Princess is “making good progress”.
They continued: “The Prince and Princess wish to say a huge thank you to the entire team at The London Clinic, especially the dedicated nursing staff, for the care they have provided.
“The Wales family continues to be grateful for the well wishes they have received from around the world.”
In a previous statement, a spokesperson said: “The Princess of Wales appreciates the interest this statement will generate.”
“She hopes that the public will understand her desire to maintain as much normality for her children as possible; and her wish that her personal medical information remains private.”
“The Princess of Wales wishes to apologise to all those concerned for the fact that she has to postpone her upcoming engagements.”
“She looks forward to reinstating as many as possible, as soon as possible.”
While Kate is not expected to return to official duties until after Easter, The Prince of Wales has since returned to public duties last month.
