William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales honoured their namesake as they attended the St David’s Day parade in Wales. Wearing his official colonel attire, Prince William addressed the Welsh guards, saying: ““I am both honoured and delighted to be standing here in front of you today as your new Colonel.”
“At the same time, I’m sorry that my father couldn’t be here with us here today to say farewell, but I know he would talk of his fierce pride and admiration for you all, and of his own sadness to be moving on from an appointment he held so dear since 1975.”
The couple presented leeks to officers and guardsmen and met families from the regiment. During the visit, William reflected on a key milestone in his life when he was with the Welsh Guards in the jungles of Belize. “I received my A-Level results over the Bowman Radio… Many of you will know the feeling of being in the jungle; you’re incredibly hot, continuously soaking wet and with nowhere to hide from potentially horrendous results, it could have been a really bad day!
“Ultimately though, it was the camaraderie, the togetherness, and of course the banter of the Welsh Guards that got me through that period, and it’s a time I look back on fondly.”
It was the royal’s first visit to the Welsh Guards since he became colonel in December 2022, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.
The regiment was formed 108 years ago by King George V, and they undertook their first King’s Guard at Buckingham Palace on St David’s Day in 1915.
