What does the shamrock on Prince William’s St. Patrick’s Day hat mean?
The Prince and Princess of Wales joined the Irish Guards in celebrating St Patrick’s Day with a parade at Mons Army Barracks in Aldershot, England on Friday (17 March).
To celebrate the day, the couple wore shamrocks – a young twig used as a symbol of Ireland.
Kate wore a cluster of shamrocks as a brooch on her dress, while William wore a cluster of twigs attached to his hat.
The 1st Battalion Irish Guards also wore shamrocks on their military hats in the parade.
When photos of William and Kate surfaced online on Friday, some social media users were puzzled by the arrangement attached to William’s hat.
“Do they wear… tufts of shamrocks? On their heads?” wrote one Twitter user.
“Is that a bush with 4 clovers on its head?” puzzled another.
The three-leaf clover is a well-known symbol of Ireland and St. Patrick
(PA)
What is the meaning of a shamrock?
The three leaf clover is a well known symbol of Ireland and St Patrick, used as a national symbol by the Irish Tourist Board and almost every tourist shop in the country.
It grows abundantly throughout the country and takes its name from an early Irish word sailor ogor “young clover”.
Clovers always have three leaves, while shamrocks can have a fourth leaf. Another difference between a clover and a shamrock is that the latter grows in clusters, while four-leaf clovers are rare and grow singly.
His association with St. Patrick began centuries ago when it is said that he used the plant’s three leaves as a symbol of the Holy Trinity when preaching Christianity in Ireland in the fifth century.
St. Patrick’s Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick, is a celebration of Ireland’s patron saint, St. Patrick.
The holiday marking the anniversary of St Patrick’s death was originally a religious holiday meant to celebrate the arrival of Christianity in Ireland and was made official by the Catholic Church in the early 17th century.
The day was commemorated by the Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, Eastern Orthodox Church and Lutheran Church, and was typically marked with church services, festivals and alcohol.
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/royal-family/prince-william-hat-st-patricks-day-b2303477.html What does the shamrock on Prince William’s St. Patrick’s Day hat mean?
