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Why Prince William and Kate Middleton have previously missed the St Patrick's Day parade

It's a big event for the Cambridges

why cambridges missed st patricks day
Danielle Stacey
Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are preparing to step out for the annual St Patrick's Day parade on Thursday for the first time in two years.

Prince William, 39, and Kate, 40, missed the ceremony with the 1st Battalion Irish Guards in 2020 and 2021, but for different reasons.

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While St Patrick's Day in 2020 was days before the first national lockdown was imposed in the UK, the parade wasn't scheduled to take place that year as the majority of the regiment were on deployment overseas.

WATCH: Prince William and Kate's special St Patrick's Day message

But in tribute to their work, the royal couple posted a series of photos of the Irish Guards in their deployments in South Sudan and Iraq, along with more information about the troops.

Part of William and Kate's Instagram caption read: "The Irish Guards, known affectionately throughout the Army as ‘the Micks’, is an Irish regiment which has proven its loyalty and grit on many tough operations." The couple signed off the post with: "As the Regiment’s motto challenges, 'Quis Separabit' — 'Who Shall Separate Us?'"

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COVID restrictions in March 2021 also prevented the Cambridges from attending the parade. Instead, a smaller, socially distanced ceremony was held for new recruits in the Infantry Training Centre (ITC) Catterick.

Last year, William and Kate also surprised royal fans by appearing in a special video message to mark St Patrick's Day.

In a short film for the Irish government to mark its national day, William started off the couple's message by speaking in Irish, saying: "Beannachtai na Feile Padraig oraibh [Happy St Patrick's Day]."

cambridges guinness storehouse© Photo: Getty Images

The Cambridges at the Guinness Storehouse in March 2020

Kate, wearing an apt emerald green boucle jacket and her Daniella Draper shamrock necklace, said: "We're delighted to wish you all a very Happy St Patrick's Day."

"How come you got that easy bit?" William quipped to his wife. "We were so thrilled to be able to visit Ireland just over a year ago, a few short weeks before all of our lives were turned upside down by the pandemic."

The Duchess added: "The warm welcome that we received everywhere was a testament to the friendship between our two countries and the strength of the relationship between the UK and Ireland."

William said: "We know that for Irish people all around the world today won't be the same as normal, but we hope that you can celebrate safely in any case."

The couple signed off their message by saying: "Happy St Patrick's Day."

The Cambridges carried out their first official tour of Ireland in March 2020, where they visited Dublin's Garden of Remembrance, as well as the Guinness Storehouse.

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