Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty ImagesSwoon! We sure do love a prince in uniform!
Prince William showed off a distinguished, dapper look and his gorgeous, trademark smile as he took the salute for the first time at the Beating Retreat, a traditional British military ceremony that dates back to 1690.
Some 6,500 people attended the impressive, high-profile event in London on Thursday, June 12. The 31-year-old Duke of Cambridge wore a black and gold-trimmed Irish Guards Royal Colonel uniform with red trimmings, a look he sported at a December ceremony honoring servicemen who had served in Afghanistan.
The Irish Guards is a regiment in the British army and Queen Elizabeth II, William's grandmother, is its colonel-in-chief. The prince, who has served as a search and rescue pilot in Britain's Royal Air Force, was made an honorary colonel in February 2011. Two months later, he wore a red Irish Guards uniform at his Royal wedding to Kate Middleton, who was not seen at the Beating Retreat.
The annual event is marked by "the beating of drums and the parading of Post Guards," according to the British Monarchy's website. It takes place during two days every June in the Horse Guards Parade ground, located about 3 miles east of Buckingham Palace, on the other side of St. James Park.
This year's Beating Retreat is marking the 70th anniversary of D-Day during World War II and the centennial of World War I. The ceremony featured gunfire and fireworks and military musicians, including drummers and trumpet players, from Britain, France and Canada. They appeared on horseback and on foot, with some wearing traditional plaid kilts and tall, fur hats.
At the event, William took the Irish Guards salute, which marked his first time, according to Hello! magazine.
"As we begin our centenary commemorations of the First World War, I am particularly pleased to welcome our friends from Canada and France to Horse Guards Parade," the outlet quoted him as telling the crowd. "Our linkages with both nations remain as strong as ever and continue to be reinforced through current military operations in Afghanistan and elsewhere."