Kate joins soldiers for St Patrick's Day 19.03.12
119Members of the 1st Battalion Irish Guards received traditional sprigs of shamrock from The Duchess of Cambridge at the St Patrick's Day parade.
She watched as 450 soldiers marched onto the parade square in full ceremonial uniform of scarlet tunics and bearskins at their home in Aldershot.
The Guards were accompanied by the regimental mascot, Conmeal, an Irish Woolfhound, who also received his own sprig of shamrock from The Duchess.
After the parade she met senior personnel in the Officers' Mess, members of the QS club, the Regiment Association and the Mini Micks cadets on the parade ground.
She is also met with past and present serving officers and their families, ending her visit with a private luncheon with officers at the Barracks.
It was the Duchess of Cambridge's first solo military engagement and the start of a longstanding relationship with the Irish Guards.
Last year, she was appointed to the honorary rank of Colonel of the Irish Guard and on 25th June the Royal couple presented operational service medals in Windsor to the battalion for their Afghan deployment.
The origin of presenting shamrock dates back to the Regiment's first St Patrick's Day in 1901.
St Patrick's Day celebrations also took place in Northern Ireland and in Germany.