Kate Middleton apologized to the Irish Guards in an emotional message for missing a major rehearsal for the "Trooping the Colour" ceremony on Saturday morning. In her message to the Irish Guards, the wife of British heir Prince William wished the troops good luck and expressed her hope to return very soon. The message comes after the princess withdrew from public life while receiving treatment for her illness.
In the message signed as "Colonel Catherine," the Princess of Wales wrote, "I wanted to write and tell you how proud I am of the entire regiment. I appreciate that all the service members this year have trained for several months and dedicated long hours to ensure their uniforms and training are impeccable." She continued, "It remains a great honor to be your Colonel, and I am so very sorry that I could not receive the salute at this year's review. Please convey my apologies to the entire regiment, but I hope to represent you all again very soon."
The princess added, after signing with the Irish Guards' motto "Who shall separate us?": "I send my best wishes and wish good luck to all the participants." In response, the regiment stated they were "touched" by the princess's gesture. They wrote on X: "The Irish Guards were deeply moved to receive a message from our Colonel, Her Royal Highness, the Princess of Wales this morning. We continue to wish Her Royal Highness well in her recovery and send her our best wishes."
The Princess of Wales stopped carrying out public duties after announcing on March 22 that she had been diagnosed with an unidentified type of cancer. She stated in a recorded message that she had begun chemotherapy. News of her illness came after King Charles announced he had cancer. Charles resumed his public duties after Buckingham Palace reported that the doctors were encouraged by the progress he had made, while he remained committed to ongoing treatment.
