Kate Middleton offers cute perception into Princess Charlotte’s ardour as she chats with faculty mom

The Princess of Wales made a rare comment about her daughter, Princess Charlotte, with a school mother at the St Patrick’s Day parade on Monday.

Kate’s trip to the Wellington Barracks marked her return to the event in her capacity as Colonel of the Irish Guards after she missed the 2024 parade while undergoing cancer treatment.

When the royal arrived, she was greeted by Major General Sir Chris Ghika and Lt Col Ben Irwin-Clark, alongside their partners.

Carice, who is Ben’s wife, chatted to the mother-of-three at the event and revealed that her daughter and Princess Charlotte, nine, often go head-to-head in school matches together. 

She told the Princess: ‘We so often see you at matches because our girls are always playing each other, they are Farleigh and Lambrook, so I think there’s stiff competition.’

Kate replied: ‘Of course, are they in the same year?’ and Carice replied: ‘Yes, Year Five.’ 

The future Queen then said: ‘I was just saying, they’re doing so much, sporting events.’

‘Now it’s getting a bit warmer it’s a bit nicer for a spectator,’ Carice said, which made Kate laugh. 

Princess Charlotte currently attends Lambrook School in Berkshire, which educates pupils until the age of 13.

Carice’s daughter goes to Farleigh School, a preparatory institution in Red Rice, around a one hour drive away from Lambrook. 

Princess Charlotte has taken after her sporty mother, who played hockey with her sister Pippa Middleton growing up. 

The school said their sporting facilities are ‘second to none’ and include ‘all-weather surface cricket, football, netball and hockey pitches, a well-equipped sports hall, a 25-metre indoor swimming pool, squash and tennis courts, dance studio, a nine-hole golf course and cricket squares’.

Prince William has previously told of his daughter’s passion for football, telling the Lionesses: ‘Charlotte wants me to tell you she’s really good in goal…a budding star for the future!’

The Waleses have also spoken about Charlotte’s passion for dance, with Kate revealing that she loves ‘ballet and tap’ during an outing in 2023. 

When she visited Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre in Marlow the same year, she also said that she enjoyed playing netball with her daughter.

Champion netball player, Ama Agbeze, told PEOPLE magazine: ‘Kate has played netball before, she knows the sport. 

 ‘She said she had been teaching her daughter how to shoot in netball, but younger people have the net lower, so it’s actually very different — she’s still got it!’

During the St Patrick’s Day parade on Monday, Kate also met Carice and Ben’s son, Rory, who is also the same age as Prince Louis.

The Princess of Wales bent down to greet the young boy and asked: ‘Can I shake your hand? How old are you?’  

When he said he was six years old, Kate’s face lit up and she said: ‘You’re six! The same age as my Louis. Are you in Year Two?’ 

The young boy said he was currently in Year One as he stood up straight, putting his arms behind his back as Carice stroked her son’s hair.

 ‘She said she had been teaching her daughter how to shoot in netball, but younger people have the net lower, so it’s actually very different — she’s still got it!’

During the St Patrick’s Day parade on Monday, Kate also met Carice and Ben’s son, Rory, who is also the same age as Prince Louis.

The Princess of Wales bent down to greet the young boy and asked: ‘Can I shake your hand? How old are you?’  

When he said he was six years old, Kate’s face lit up and she said: ‘You’re six! The same age as my Louis. Are you in Year Two?’ 

The young boy said he was currently in Year One as he stood up straight, putting his arms behind his back as Carice stroked her son’s hair. 

Kate – who donned festive green as she chatted to Irish Guards and their families in the Sergeants’ Mess – also put money behind the bar for them to celebrate the annual Irish holiday.

During her visit, Kate revealed that their children are keen footballers.

Speaking Noah Hogan, seven, whose father John is Company Sergeant Major, she said: ‘Do you like football? Our kiddies play football. Have you started playing at the weekends yet?

Kate – who donned festive green as she chatted to Irish Guards and their families in the Sergeants’ Mess – also put money behind the bar for them to celebrate the annual Irish holiday.

During her visit, Kate revealed that their children are keen footballers.

Speaking Noah Hogan, seven, whose father John is Company Sergeant Major, she said: ‘Do you like football? Our kiddies play football. Have you started playing at the weekends yet?

After Noah replied: ‘Yeah’, Kate asked: ‘Do Mummy and Daddy come and watch? When they can?’

Noah added: ‘Dad doesn’t watch that much, when you are at work.’ Which prompted Kate to ask: ‘Do you like the idea of being in the Army too? What would you like to do?’

Noah said he wanted to be just like his father and do the same job when he grows up.

The future queen also chatted to his Noah’s brother Lucas, 12, saying he was the same age as her oldest son George.

‘You’re the same age as George. So you haven’t got exams this year?’ She asked.

The royal, who is colonel of the regiment after taking over from her husband, dressed in a lucky green Alexander McQueen coat dress and a Cartier shamrock brooch.

She styled her look with black heeled boots and a percher hat, and added a Shamrock pin, while tucked her hair up into a sleek updo and opting for a light make-up look. 

She added Kiki McDonough Green Tourmaline earrings to her look – which she also wore at the St Patrick’s Day Parade in 2018 and 2019. 

Kate missed the Guards’ annual occasion last year as she was undergoing treatment for cancer.

After arriving at the central London camp, Kate inspected the troops before being presented with traditional sprigs of shamrock by a member of the guard.

In a further sweet moment, Kate knelt down to pet the regimental mascot Turlough Mór, an adorable Irish Wolfhound known as Seamus. She then gifted him a sprig of shamrock.

Later, inside the Junior Ranks dining hall, Kate sipped on a pint of Guinness as a senior guardsman toasted her, but didn’t quite manage to ‘split the G’ instead choosing to savour the drink slowly.

‘Three cheers for the colonel in the regiment,’ he said before raucous applause.

She later took the official salute from the Irish Guards, raising their Bearskin caps into the air.

Kate started the day by saluting the colonel during a march-past and met Irish Guards veterans as well as junior cadets from Northern Ireland known as Mini Micks.

During a private ceremony, in the junior ranks’ dining hall, senior guardsman toasted in her honour.

The Princess drank from a half pint of Guinness as Guardsman Barry Loughlin raised a toast to her as royal colonel in the Dining Room.

‘If you have a drink, stand with me now,’ he said, ‘bit quicker boys,’ he joked.

‘Three cheers for the Colonel of the regiment,’ he said. Kate sipped her drink after the three cheers rang out then headed over to meet Barry’s partner Georgia Wills and son Regan, four.

Barry said of the Princess: ‘She just wanted to find out how everything’s going. She’s really nice in that respect, she doesn’t just disappear. She’s warm and you feel welcomed by her.

‘You could tell she had a genuine interest.’