Royal couple Prince William and Kate Middleton paid a visit to Mons Barracks in Adershot, Hampshire in England Tuesday morning to join the 1st Battalion Irish Guards on the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade. The Duke and Duchess were to present shamrocks to the cadets and guardsmen, in lieu of the tradition they have been fulfilling for the past consecutive years.

The royal couple, branded with Irish title of Baron and Lady Carrickfergus, stepped into the parade and was greeted by some 200 guardsmen while the national anthem was played. Kate was expected to hand out sprigs of shamrocks to the army men, to keep up with the tradition started by Queen Alexandra, wife of Edward VII, in 1901. The Duchess, 33, shunned the usual wearing of green and opted instead for a brown Catherine walker coat that showed off her baby bump, accessorized by a Lock & Co hat and a gold shamrock brooch that used to belong to the late Queen Mother pinned to her chest. The Duke, 32, on the other hand, wore his ceremonial uniform as Royal Colonel of the Regiment. Kate first handed her husband his shamrock sprig, then proceeded to personally pin the Irish emblem on about 30 members of the 1st battalion. She even presented the regimental mascot, an Irish 3-year-old wolfhound named Domhnall, with his very own shamrock sprig, People reported.

The parade was noticeably smaller than last year’s, as some of the troops were already deployed around the world. However, those who were not present in the parade were also given fresh shamrocks, as they have been flown to where they were, including Oman and the Falkland Islands. The couple then followed the march to join the officers and sergeants for photographs, while some families clamored to meet them. They then proceeded to enjoy a private luncheon with the officers, where Prince William had a pint of Guinness, while the pregnant Kate chose to stick with water.

The parade will be one of the final engagements the Duchess will attend to before she goes off on maternity leave. She will then visit Brookhill Children’s Centre in LondonWednesday to extend her help in the events held by the Home-Start charity, particularly seminars for parents with children under five years of age suffering from bereavement, illness and disability. She is also planning to carry on with more royal duties before officially filing her leave, HELLO! Magazine exclusively learned.

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