King Charles III continued Trooping the Colour preparations by honoring the Irish Guards.
Charles, 75, presented new colours to the military group’s No. 9 and No. 12 Companies at Windsor Castle on Monday, June 10. The monarch was dressed in his black military garb as he saluted soldiers and greeted attendees. Charles, who serves as the Colonel in Chief of the seven Guards regiments of the Household Division, was joined at the presentation by the Irish Guards Regimental Lieutenant Colonel, Major General Sir Christopher Ghika, KCVO CBE.
“In recent years, the regiment has continued to serve with immense distinction,” Charles said during the ceremony, per multiple outlets. “Around the world, your achievements include vital work to counter terrorism in Iraq and to bolster security across Africa by providing high-quality training teams to work with local forces.”
He went on to praise the Companies’ role “at home,” including working during the COVID-19 pandemic and “training Ukrainian forces” amid the country’s war against Russia. “In this ever-changing world, it is no exaggeration to say that the whole regiment finds itself occupying a central role in defense’s contribution to the myriad challenges which societies must face,” he added. “In all of this, you bring to your duty a blend of professionalism, courage and humor which has always marked out Irish Guardsmen.”
The presentation took place five days before this year’s Trooping the Colour, an annual celebration held in honor of the monarch’s birthday. Unlike previous years, Charles will ride in a carriage with Queen Camilla during the Saturday, June 15, military parade rather than ride on horseback due to his ongoing battle with cancer.
Charles was diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer in February and returned to public-facing royal duties in April. Also battling cancer is his daughter-in-law, Princess Kate Middleton, who announced her diagnosis in March. It is unknown whether she will attend Saturday’s Trooping the Colour events.
Kate, 42, skipped out on a Trooping the Colour rehearsal on Saturday, June 8. Her role as Inspecting Officer was instead carried out by Lieutenant General James Bucknall, KCB, CBE. Kate, who serves as an honorary Colonel of the Irish Guards, did send her regards to the group via a personal letter.
“I wanted to write and let you know how proud I am of the entire Regiment ahead of the Colonel’s Review and Trooping the Colour,” the Princess of Wales wrote in her letter, shared via the Irish Guards’ X page. “I appreciate everyone trooping this year has been practicing for months, and dedicating many hours to ensuring their uniforms and drill are immaculate.”
She continued: “Being your Colonel remains a great honor, and I am very sorry that I’m unable to take the salute at this year’s Colonel’s Review. Please pass my apologies to the whole Regiment, however I do hope that I am able to represent you all once again very soon. Please send my very best wishes and good luck to all involved.”
Royal expert Christopher Andersen exclusively told Us Weekly last month that Kate will not likely join her fellow royal family members on the Buckingham Palace balcony for the Trooping the Colour Royal Air Force fly-over.
“She may appear on the balcony; that’s not too much of a strain on her, I wouldn’t think,” Andersen told Us on May 9. “But [if] she doesn’t, it’s just going to look sad and odd and send the message [that] things are perhaps a little worse than we thought and so we’ll have to wait and see.”
