Princess Anne passes on key honour to Kate Middleton for major appearance

Princess Kate stole the spotlight by receiving a major honour which was once given to Princess Anne, the hardest member of the royal family.

The future Queen wore a prestigious gold shamrock brooch on St Patrick's Day in her chic green outfit.

Jewellery expert Tobias Kormind told GB, "Princess Kate stepped out today in a style honouring the Irish Guards, wearing the gold shamrock brooch, a longstanding symbol of the Royal Family's connection to the regiment."

He added, "The Irish Guards have a deep-rooted St Patrick's Day tradition where soldiers receive a sprig of shamrock - a nod to St Patrick's teaching of the Holy Trinity."

Speaking of the brooch's significance for the royals, Tobias shared that the Queen Mother was the first royal who wore the jewellery piece in the 1960s. She presented "shamrocks to the regiment annually until her death in 2002."

Notably, the Princess Royal wore the beautiful brooch "during St Patrick's Day celebrations in 2005 and 2009, before it passed to Kate, who has worn it exclusively since 2011, often at events including the St Patrick's Day parade and Trooping the Colour."

It is important to note that Princess Kate missed last year's St Patrick's Day ceremony due to cancer diagnosis. However, the future Queen made a powerful return to the special event in 2025.

RELATED: Why Queen Camilla didn't approve of Kate Middleton at first