The Princess of Wales shared an adorable moment with the young daughter of a soldier serving in the Irish Guards

Catherine Princess of Wales, Colonel of the Irish Guards, in the sergeants mess where she met Vienna Mills aged 3 years (in blue) and Mila English aged 3 years (in green) daughters of guardsmen following the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Mons Barracks, Aldershot. Kate Middleton meets Vienna Mills and Mila English, daughters of guardsmen at St. Patrick’s Day parade.Credit : Richard Pohle/WPA Pool/Shutterstock

Kate Middleton shared an adorable moment with the young daughter of a soldier serving in the Irish Guards during a St. Patrick’s Day event on Tuesday, March 17, holding hands with the toddler as the girl giggled, swung from Kate’s arms and jumped on her legs.

Vienna, the 3-year-old daughter of Lance Sergeant Mills, who led the drums and pipes during Tuesday’s parade at Mons Barracks, couldn’t contain her excitement as Kate bent down to greet her. “Are you excited?” Kate asked the girl, the Independent reported. She told Vienna she had “beautiful hair” and applauded as she twirled.

The mother of three beamed as another soldier’s daughter, 3-year-old Mila, approached her. Kate took her hands and complimented her on her green dress and bow, asking if “mummy” helped her with it.

The moment was captured on X by royals reporter Cameron Walker.

The Princess of Wales and honorary Colonel of the Irish Guards attended the regiment’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade at Mons Barracks on Tuesday, dressed for the occasion in an emerald green coat and matching hat. She wore the Irish Guards’ gold shamrock brooch on her lapel, adding a spray of shamrocks for a festive finish.

Kate styled her hair in a braided updo, which fashion stylist Leanne Jones told Hello! magazine could be a nod to Irish heritage and Celtic folklore. “Traditional hairstyles often featured intricate plaits symbolizing status and identity,” she said.The Princess of Wales, in her role as Colonel of the Regiment, during a visit to the 1st Battalion Irish Guards for their St Patrick's Day Parade, at Mons Barracks in Aldershot, Hampshire.

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“No part of Kate’s wardrobe is unplanned, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the combination of rich green tones and this braided detail were a quiet tribute to Ireland today,” Jones added.

The princess presented shamrocks to the officers and guardsmen in attendance, also extending a sprig to the regimental mascot, an Irish wolfhound officially named Turlough Mor but better known as Seamus. The parade concluded with a royal salute and a march-past, during which Kate took the salute as Colonel, a role she took over for her husband, Prince William, in 2022, as part of a reshuffling of royal roles following King Charles’ accession to the throne.The Princess of Wales, in her role as Colonel, Irish Guards, presents Irish Wolf hound Turlough Mor' (aka Seamus) the regimental mascot, with a sprig of shamrock during a visit to the 1st Battalion Irish Guards for their St Patrick's Day Parade

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Kate raised a customary glass of Guinness with the soldiers and their families following Tuesday’s parade, smiling as the Irish Guards cried three cheers of “Hip, hip, hooray” in her honor. She took only a small sip of the drink, having revealed during a visit to Southwark Brewing Company in London on March 12 that she no longer drinks much alcohol because of a previous cancer diagnosis.

 

Kate announced in an Instagram video in 2024 that she was undergoing treatment for cancer, which doctors had detected during an earlier abdominal surgery. The princess has not disclosed publicly the specific type or stage of cancer she was diagnosed with.

She went into remission last year, revealing the news as she made a surprise visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, where her own cancer was treated.