Kate Middleton Celebrates St. Patrick’s Day as Colonel of the Irish Guards

Kate Middleton just celebrated her first St. Patrick’s Day as Colonel of the Irish Guards.

She recently received the title from King Charles, as Prince William exits the position and takes on the equivalent role with the Welsh Guards.

To honor the holiday, Kate and William joined the Irish Guards in Aldershot, near London where she and William both gave speeches.

William told the crowd, "Whilst I am extremely happy to be here celebrating St. Patrick's Day with you once again, I'm incredibly sad to be giving this speech, as it really does mean my time as your Colonel has come to an end. It has been one of the great honors of my life to hold that title; I'm proud of everything it stands for — just as I'm immensely proud of every single one of you."

Poking fun at himself, he went on, "I would now like to speak directly to the families gathered here today. I hope you know how truly grateful I am to all of you, too. On this, my 13th and final St. Patrick's Day as Colonel, not only am I saddened that I'll likely fail once again to finish a pint of Guinness… but I am also sad that I won't in future see more of you, the families, whose unwavering support enables these outstanding men and women to do what they do."

The Prince of Wales insisted, "I may be stepping aside, but in Col. Catherine, you have a committed, focused, and already incredibly loyal 11th Colonel."

Kate looked stunning in a teal Catherine Walker & Co. coat dress with a matching hat and heels, as well as a shamrock corsage.

Kate told attendees, "I really couldn't be prouder to stand in front of you here today. It really is a true honor to be your Colonel. I am here to listen to you, to support you, and to champion you in all you do — this is a responsibility I do not take lightly."

The Princess, who recently visited the guard for training exercises, went on, "I look forward to spending more time with you and your families, seeing your commitment to duty and service in all you do. Before I close, however, I want to thank Col. William. He has always talked about his fierce pride for this regiment. I know he will continue to support us all in the work we do."

She closed with, "Finally, I would like to wish you all a very happy St. Patrick's Day."