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Kate Middleton's nervous appearance ahead of her first speech as colonel of the Irish Guards on St. Patrick's Day earlier this month has been widely shared on social media, with the TikTok video gaining more than 4 million views in 72 hours.
Kate has attended the annual Irish Guards' St. Patrick's Day parade nearly every year since her marriage, accompanying her husband, Prince William, who was made colonel of the regiment by Queen Elizabeth in 2011.
In December 2022, the new king, Charles III, announced that William would be taking over the colonelcy he had held as the Prince of Wales—that of the Welsh Guards. The king also decided to bestow on Kate her first official military patronage, deciding she would take over as colonel of the Irish Guards.
This year's St. Patrick's Day parade was used as the official handover event from William to Kate, with the outgoing and incoming colonel each issuing a heartfelt message to the battalion members on parade and their families.
Uploaded to TikTok by user duchessonabudget, with the caption "Kate was a bit nervous," the video clip showed the princess in the moments before she took to the podium to deliver her speech.
The video has received over 110,000 likes and 2,000 comments, many of which praised the princess. She has made a number of public speeches during her twelve-year marriage but has not done so on a regular basis.
@duchessonabudget Princess Catherine appeared slightly uneasy before giving her St. Patrick's speech and took a deep breath to compose herself. During the speech, Prince William bestowed upon her the title of "Colonel Catherine" as he handed over his responsibilities with the regiment to his wife. With this formal appointment, the Princess of Wales assumed the role of Colonel of the regiment and currently serves as the head of the Welsh Guards. www.duchessonabudget.com #stpartricksday #catherineprincessofwales #royalnews #katemiddletonnews #katemiddleton #katemiddletonoutfits #princewilliamofwales #duchessonabudget ♬ original sound - Duchess On A Budget
"I have to say, Nervous doesn't make you weak, it makes you humble," wrote one user in support of the princess.
"Kate is also human, we all have difficult moments," wrote another.
One user added: "I believe She feels Her duty very deeply...The Princess will be a wonderful Queen Consort one day...Queen Elizabeth did Her job as Monarch so well..."
Other users have pointed out that the signs of nervousness could be hints of her emotional reaction to the dedication William was making to her in his speech at the event.
"I don't think she is nervous, I think she appears emotional at what PW was saying," said one comment.
"She is trying not to cry from pride from what she is hearing, I think. Of his retirement from the position," posted another user.
As part of his handover speech, William spoke of his pride in the guards and paid tribute to their new "Colonel Catherine," who now takes the helm.
"I may be stepping aside, but in Colonel Catherine you have a committed, focused and already incredibly loyal 11th Colonel," he said. "As you serve together over the years ahead, know that I will continue to watch you, with huge pride in having been one of you."
For her part, Kate returned the compliment, paying tribute to William in her speech.
"I look forward to spending more time with you and your families, seeing your commitment to duty and service in all you do. Before I close, however, I want to thank Colonel William. He has always talked about his fierce pride for this regiment," she said.
"I know he will continue to support us all in the work we do. Finally, I would like to wish you all a very happy St. Patrick's Day," she concluded.
For the occasion, Kate wore a teal-green coat dress and hat, a tribute not only to St. Patrick's Day but also to the colored plume that the Irish Guards wear on parade in their bear-skin hats. Her Catherine Walker & Co.–designed coat dress also paid tribute to the guards' uniforms, with its arrangement of buttons along the center front.
Newsweek reached out to Kensington Palace via email for comment.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more