Prince William’s adorable nod to Kate Middleton as he undertakes major duty ahead of Jubilee weekend

Prince William stepped out for an important engagement wearing an outfit that brings back memories of this major romantic moment…

 Prince William's adorable nod to Kate Middleton wedding day, seen here visiting the BAE Systems shipyard
(Image credit: Photo by Andrew Milligan - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Prince William’s adorable nod to Kate Middleton and their love story might've been spotted by some as he undertook a major duty ahead of the Jubilee weekend. 


Just like many members of the extended Royal Family, the Duke of Cambridge has served in the Armed Forces and in 2011 he received his first honorary appointment in the Army. Prince William was appointed as Colonel of the Irish Guards and undertook a major engagement in this capacity on May 17. At Windsor Castle, he wore the red uniform of the Irish Guards as he presented a new Regimental Color.

“His Royal Highness is Colonel of the Regiment, who this year will ‘Troop the Color’ during The Queen’s Birthday Parade as part of the #PlatinumJubilee Celebration Weekend,” the Royal Family explained on social media.

The Irish Guards will play a key role in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee 2022 and this wasn’t the first time the Queen’s grandchild has worn an Irish Guards uniform. Perhaps the most memorable time was when he married the Duchess of Cambridge.

On Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding day back in April 2011 the future King also wore the bright red Irish Guards uniform. Standing out eye-catchingly next to Kate Middleton’s wedding dress by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, this bold uniform will forever be remembered by fans from that wonderful day. His wedding outfit wasn’t identical to the Irish Guards uniform worn this month.

At his wedding, the Duke of Cambridge’s regimental uniform didn’t feature the rope detail on the left side of the tunic and there were fewer medals on the blue sash. Perhaps most noticeably Prince William didn’t wear the distinctive hat either.

Prince William wearing the Irish Guards uniform

(Image credit: Future// Image 1: Photo by Richard Pohle - WPA Pool/Getty Images // Image 2: Photo by Anwar Hussein/Getty Images)

Despite these small differences, however, he wore an Irish Guards Colonel uniform on both occasions and his recent outing could be seen as an adorable nod to Kate and their wedding. 

Though it seems like wearing this particular uniform for their big day wasn’t always Prince William’s plan, with The Mirror claiming he’d originally hoped to wear his Irish Guards frock coat to tie the knot with Duchess Kate.

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge on the balcony at Buckingham Palace with Bridesmaids Margarita Armstrong-Jones (Right) And Grace Van Cutsem

(Image credit: Photo by Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images)

But given he’d been promoted to Colonel just two months before the wedding, Her Majesty reportedly stepped in and wanted him to wear the Colonel's uniform. 

Prince William reportedly revealed at the time, "We had a couple of discussions on this matter but, as I learnt growing up, you don’t mess with your grandmother. What she says goes."

Emma Shacklock

Emma is a Royal Editor with eight years experience working in publishing. Her specialist areas include the British Royal Family, ranging from protocol to outfits. Alongside putting her royal knowledge to good use, Emma knows all there is to know about the latest TV shows on the BBC, ITV and more. When she’s not writing about the next unmissable show to add to your to-watch list or delving into royal protocol, Emma enjoys cooking, long walks and watching yet more crime dramas!