Prince William & Kate Middleton's St. Patricks Day Celebration Was Traditional

The United Kingdom's royal family has a super unique and traditional way of celebrating holidays, unlike a lot of families. This makes sense, of course, since they're the royal family after all. Because of this, people might not be surprised to find out that Prince William and Kate Middleton celebrated St. Patrick's Day in a very traditional way on Sunday.

While a lot of people in the United States spent their St. Patrick's Day weekend attending parades, drinking alcohol, and wearing green, Middleton and Prince William celebrated just a bit differently. While Middleton still wore green and the couple was still able to drink beer, their celebrations were just a bit more traditional and toned down.

On Sunday, the couple attended a St. Patrick's Day parade in West London, according to Harper's Bazaar. It was there where they flew the Irish flag, honored Irish Guards, and handed our sprigs of shamrock to certain officers, according to People. After meeting with soldiers and their families during the parade, the couple attended a lunch where they participated in a toast and got to sip on a pint of Guinness beer, according to People.

That really does sound like the perfect way to spend the holiday. Although it might not have been super rowdy, they got to attend a parade and drink a beer. Is that not the most ideal way for parents to spend a Sunday without their kids?

Even though their Sunday outing might sound like so much fun to others, their appearance was part of a long standing royal family tradition. Women in the royal family have handed out shamrocks to Irish Guards on St. Patrick's Day since 1901, according to Town & Country. And the couple has been doing this since 2012, one year after they got married.

But the couple celebrated St. Patrick's Day a bit differently this year than they did last year. During the parade in 2018, Middleton was eight months pregnant with her third child, according to PopSugar. And during their lunchtime toast, the Duchess of Cambridge had to sip on a glass of water, according to TODAY. So, this year, she was probably very happy to have a much earned treat.

As previously stated, recognizing Irish Guards on St. Patrick's Day has been a very long standing tradition. This was started by Queen Victoria in 1901 to honor the soldiers in one of the "British empire's most brutal wars," according to Vox. Each year since then, someone from the royal family has presented the guards with sprigs of shamrock to pin on their hats. Although it might look a little silly, everyone knows that the royal family is big on tradition. And tradition is one thing that you don't put an end to in the royal family.

St. Patrick's Day is one of those holidays that is fun no matter how it is spent. Whether it's spent hanging out with friends, drinking your favorite beer, attending a parade, or doing all of those things, there is always a good time to be had. And there's no denying that Prince William and Middleton had an excellent St. Patrick's Day this year.