Kate Middleton attended training with the 1st Irish Guards on her first visit as a new colonel.
The 41-year-old Princess of Wales donned military camouflage with patches during her first visit to the soldiers of the Irish Guards, of which she had just become an honorary colonel. The Daily Mail writes about it.
Kate Middleton was almost unrecognizable when she took part in an exercise at the snowy Salisbury Plain training ground this morning.
Kate Middleton named Honorary Colonel of the Irish Guards
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During the exercises, according to legend, the soldiers first patrolled the area, then came under fire from the enemy and had to help their wounded comrades.
Kate provided first aid to a soldier wounded in the shin, who was later evacuated from the battlefield.
It was the first time Kate had visited the Irish Guards in her new position as an honorary colonel – in December she received her first appointment in the army, succeeding Prince William.
It comes after Kate’s son-in-law Prince Harry announced that they had christened her niece “Princess Lilibet Diana” in a small ceremony at their home in California. It is unclear if relatives, including Prince William, received an invitation to the christening. And if they did, why did they refuse to attend.
Kate, as it became clear today, spent the whole day on the exercises. She completed her military uniform with comfortable £155 Berghaus Supalite hiking boots, which she has worn on a number of other occasions over the past few years.
She had long accompanied her husband on the St. Patrick’s Day parades of the Irish Guards, distributing twigs of shamrock, but has now become an honorary colonel of the regiment herself.
Kate learned first-hand about the work recently done by members of the battalion, including guardsmen who have been sent to security work in Africa, where they help fight poachers.
Kate Middleton named Honorary Colonel of the Irish Guards
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Also, the Princess of Wales was instructed in anti-explosives, a demining exercise that the Irish Guards conducts for the Ukrainian armed forces.
Finally, she familiarized herself with the weapons used by the Irish Guards.
Lieutenant Colonel Aldridge said his battalion was delighted to welcome Kate to Salisbury Plain.
“On International Women’s Day, it’s especially fitting that several of our female service members have met such an inspiring female role model,” said the lieutenant colonel.
Kate Middleton spoke to the military
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Фото: The Prince and Princess of Wales/instagram
The reigning monarch is usually appointed as the commander-in-chief of the regiments, but each regiment also has an honorary colonel, who is usually either a member of the royal family or a senior officer.
The Irish Guard has been part of the British Army since 1900, when it was founded by Royal Decree of Queen Victoria in memory of the Irish who died in action during the Boer War.
Since then, the Guards, who, like all Guards regiments, were proud of the late Queen as their commander-in-chief, have been involved in every major military conflict of the 20th century and led the British offensive against Basra during the Iraq War in 2003.
The Irish Guards were also one of the last units deployed to Afghanistan.
We will remind, earlier Kate Middleton attended the parade of the Welsh regiment on the Day of St. David, the patron saint of Wales. She accompanied her husband, Prince William, who was making his first visit to the 1st Battalion of the Welsh Guards at Combermere Barracks in Windsor as their newly appointed colonel of the regiment. This position has been held by Prince Charles since 1975, but after the death of Queen Elizabeth, the post passed to his son and heir.
