Catherine will join the parade and present the traditional sprigs of shamrock to the Officers and Guardsmen who will, in turn, issue it along the ranks, as well as present it to the Irish Wolfhound regimental mascot. It will conclude with a Royal Salute and march-past where the future Queen will take the salute as the regiment’s Colonel.
According to the Palace, Catherine will also award long service and good conduct medals to soldiers within the regiment and meet a group of Regimental Association Members of the Irish Guards and the ‘Mini Micks’, who are junior cadets from Northern Ireland.
She will also attend the Sergeants’ Mess to meet with members of the regiment and their families, and to recognise the important contribution they make to supporting our Armed Forces.
The princess attended the annual parade last year, after skipping it in 2024 following her major abdominal surgery in January of that year and subsequent cancer diagnosis that month.
Catherine announced that she had been diagnosed with a type of cancer on March 22, 2024.
The Irish Guards’ 2024 parade took place on March 17. At the time, it was thought the princess was still recovering from her abdominal surgery back in January.
In January 2025, Catherine announced that she is in remission from cancer and has been easing herself back into royal life since then.
The Irish Guards serve a dual role as world-class infantry soldiers, specialising in frontline combat roles requiring excellence in the use of Machine Guns, Anti-Tank missiles, Mortars, Reconnaissance, and Sniper capabilities, and, as the ceremonial personal bodyguard to the Monarch, are frequently seen guarding Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.
After a sustained period of providing vital support to the training of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Irish Guards are now committed to modernisation and to remaining at the forefront of emerging operational capabilities.
They are a “leading force” in building the UK’s drone warfare capability.