Irish Guards Send Loving Message to Kate Middleton After Palace Confirms She'll Miss Trooping the Colour Review

"We wish the Colonel of the Irish Guards the best of best wishes for her recovery."

 Catherine, Princess of Wales (in her role as Colonel of the Irish Guards) presents traditional sprigs of shamrock to Officers and Guardsmen of the Irish Guards as she attends the 2023 St. Patrick's Day Parade at Mons Barracks on March 17, 2023 in Aldershot, England
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Kate Middleton is receiving the sweetest of messages from a special source after Buckingham Palace confirmed the Princess of Wales will skip the iconic Trooping of the Colour as she continues preventative cancer treatment.

On Thursday, May 30, Lieutenant Colonel James Shaw—the Brigade Major of the Household Division, a section of the British Army that organizes and performs the Trooping the Colour celebration—issued a special message from The Irish Guards to Middleton.

"We wish the Colonel of the Irish Guards the best of best wishes for her recovery," Shaw told GB News. "And again, the Irish Guards are hugely proud to have her as their Colonel and want to put on a really special show this year."

Catherine, Princess of Wales (in her role as Colonel of the Irish Guards) presents traditional sprigs of shamrock to Officers and Guardsmen of the Irish Guards as she attends the 2023 St. Patrick's Day Parade at Mons Barracks on March 17, 2023 in Aldershot, England.

Catherine, Princess of Wales (in her role as Colonel of the Irish Guards) presents traditional sprigs of shamrock to Officers and Guardsmen of the Irish Guards as she attends the 2023 St. Patrick's Day Parade at Mons Barracks on March 17, 2023 in Aldershot, England.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Earlier that same day, Buckingham Palace announced that Middleton would not serve as Inspecting Officer at the traditional Colonel's Review on June 8, People reported at the time.

The traditional review serves as the final rehearsal before the annual Trooping the Colour event, also known as King Charles' extravagant birthday parade. Shaw is going to be taking over royal duties for Middleton in her absence.

On Sunday, March 17, Kensington Palace posted a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, showing Irish Guards raising their hats and giving three cheers to the Princess of Wales, who last year attended the event for the first time as the Guards' Colonel after taking over the role previously held by her husband, Prince William.

Princess Kate did not attend the parade this year either—at the time it was said she was recovering from her reportedly "planned" abdominal surgery and brief hospitalization. The event occurred before Middleton announced to the world that she was also undergoing preventative treatment for an unspecified type of cancer.

A post shared by The Prince and Princess of Wales

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While the Princess of Wales is not expected to return to public-facing royal duties until at least the fall—if at all this year, as she is reportedly waiting on the "green light" from her doctors—Middleton is said to be considering a possible cameo appearance of sorts at the Trooping the Colour celebration.

According to recent The Daily Mail reports, Kate is “considering” making an appearance on the famous Buckingham Palace balcony alongside her family “if she is feeling well enough."

And as royal biographer Katie Nicholl reported in Vanity Fair, Middleton's condition has improved as of late.

“It has been a great relief that she is tolerating the medication," a source told Nicholl.

Danielle Campoamor
Weekend Editor

Danielle Campoamor is Marie Claire's weekend editor covering all things news, celebrity, politics, culture, live events, and more. In addition, she is an award-winning freelance writer and former NBC journalist with over a decade of digital media experience covering mental health, reproductive justice, abortion access, maternal mortality, gun violence, climate change, politics, celebrity news, culture, online trends, wellness, gender-based violence and other feminist issues. You can find her work in The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, New York Magazine, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, TODAY, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, InStyle, Playboy, Teen Vogue, Glamour, The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, Prism, Newsweek, Slate, HuffPost and more. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their two feral sons. When she is not writing, editing or doom scrolling she enjoys reading, cooking, debating current events and politics, traveling to Seattle to see her dear friends and losing Pokémon battles against her ruthless offspring. You can find her on X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and all the places.