Prince William and Kate Middleton have cancelled their St Patrick’s Day tradition

And it has nothing to do with Coronavirus.

The Cambridges are undoubtedly the most talked-about family in the world, and in the aftermath of the Sussex family’s departure to Canada, it’s hardly surprising that the Cambridge family are making non-stop viral news.

Earlier this month, Prince William and Kate Middleton visited Ireland, and from Kate’s headband game to their addressing the outbreak of Coronavirus, it seemed to be all anyone can talk about.

People were unsurprised therefore when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s participation in their annual St. Patrick’s Day event was cancelled, with many believing Coronavirus to be the reason.

It has been reported however that the Duke and Duchess won’t be posting the event this year for a different reason, with the Irish Guards’ first battalion currently deployed in Iraq and South Sudan.

The annual custom usually sees the royal couple honour the Irish Guards with a St Patrick’s Day parade, usually seeing a sweet interaction between Kate and the guards’ mascot, an Irish wolfhound.

'Happy St Patrick’s Day!' the Cambridges posted to Instagram today alongside a series of photographs. 'In the absence of the annual #StPatricksDay Parade with the @IrishGuards (as the majority of the Regiment are on deployment overseas), of which The Duke of Cambridge has been Colonel since 2011, we’re sharing more on where the Irish Guards will be working this St Patrick’s Day:

'The Irish Guards, known affectionately throughout the Army as ‘the Micks’, is an Irish regiment which has proven its loyalty and grit on many tough operations.

'Number 1 Company is currently deployed in South Sudan 🇸🇸 for four months on Operation Trenton, providing security to the Royal Engineers undertaking construction projects as part of the @unitednations mission there, including teaching basic skills that empower the locals and will help them continue to improve their lives long after the deployment finishes.

'Meanwhile in Iraq 🇮🇶 the remainder (and vast majority of the Battalion) of the Micks are deployed on Operation Shader. They are currently on a six-month tour focused on training security forces across multiple locations in Iraq and further north in the Kurdish Region.

'A truly diverse Regiment, the Irish Guards draws from soldiers all over the British Isles, Ireland and across the Commonwealth. As the Regiment’s motto challenges, ‘Quis Separabit’ — ‘Who Shall Separate Us?’'

Happy St. Patrick's Day!