On the first day of spring, the royal couple

appeared in a parade

in honor of the national holiday of St. David's Day.

The Prince and Princess of Wales honored the Welsh Guards in Windsor, near their home.

Princess of Wales / Photo: Getty Images

At the parade, William and Kate distributed symbolic leeks to officers and guardsmen of the regiment.

The plant has long been associated with Wales - according to legend, the nation's patron saint ordered Welsh soldiers to wear onions on their helmets so they could better recognize each other in battle against the Saxons.

On this occasion, Kate chose a special decoration - a small diamond brooch in the form of a leek.

The princess wore this jewelry for the first time.

Princess of Wales / Photo: Associated Press

Kate may have inherited the brooch from her mother-in-law after her wedding to William, but previously she could not wear it due to her rank.

And since the prince has now become a ceremonial colonel of the Welsh Guards - Kate, as his wife, can now also wear their symbols.

Princess of Wales / Photo: Associated Press

Most likely, the brooch previously belonged to Princess Diana and was made exclusively for her.

Lady Di wore the jewelry quite often.

Princess Diana / Photo: Getty Images

If you look closely, you can see that on the jewelry of Kate and Diana, onion leaves are twisted in the same way.

Princess Diana / Photo: Getty Images

However, this kind of decoration is not the only one of its kind.

A similar brooch was also in the collection of Queen Elizabeth II, she was given it in the 60s by the Welsh Guards, allegedly they dropped 12.5 pence for it.

Queen Elizabeth II / Photo: Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II / Photo: Associated Press

Queen Elizabeth II / Photo: Associated Press

There is also a leek brooch in Queen Camilla's collection, but it is slightly different from Kate and Elizabeth II's jewelry, as its bulb is made of yellow gold, and the petals are curved in different directions.

Queen Camilla / Photo: Associated Press

Queen Camilla / Photo: Getty Images

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