The Duke of Cambridge sipped on a glass of sherry inside the dining hall at Mons Barracks in Aldershot today. He wore the ceremonial dress of the Irish Guards for the St Patrick's Day parade.
The Duke and Duchess were loudly cheered by the soldiers as they entered the hall, which gave them welcome shelter from the heavy rain outside.
The Duchess of Cambridge told a soldier that she would like her baby to be a boy at today's St Patrick's Day parade at Mons Barracks in Aldershot.
But Kate, who is five months pregnant, said that the Duke, who attended the event with her, would prefer to have a girl.
Guardsman Lee Wheeler said: "I was talking to her about the baby. I asked her 'do you know if it's a girl or boy', and she said 'not yet'.
"She said 'I'd like to have a boy and William would like a girl'. I asked her if she had any names yet and she said no. I said I suppose you've got to stick to traditional names."
Guardsman Jason Perry, 33, also spoke to Kate about her pregnancy.
He said: "I wished her congratulations and said I hoped everything is fine. She said 'yes it is'
"I asked her if she was excited to be having her first child. She said 'very'."
The soldier said it was "absolutely brilliant" to meet the couple and they had both asked him about his 13-and-a-half year career in the Army, which has seen him serve two tours of Iraq and one in Northern Ireland.
The Duchess of Cambridge receives flowers and William speaks with members of the Irish Guards' during the St Patrick's Day Parade in Aldershot.
The Duchess of Cambridge has been presenting shamrocks to the Irish Guards at the St Patrick's Day Parade at Mons Barracks in Aldershot.
The Duchess of Cambridge gets her heel stuck in a drain as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit the 1st Battalion Irish Guards to attend the St. Patrick's Day Parade at Mons Barracks, Aldershot
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrive in Aldershot as guests of honour at the Irish Guards' St Patrick's Day Parade.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit Aldershot in Hampshire today as guests of honour at the Irish Guards' St Patrick's Day Parade.
Last year the Duchess presented sprigs of Shamrock to the Irish Guards on her first military engagement without her husband.
The Royal couple will continue with a century old tradition that was started by Queen Alexandra, the wife of the then King, Edward the seventh in 1901.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's baby is due in July. The announcement has come from St James's Palace.
A spokesman also said that Kate's condition is continuing to improve afte her stay in hospital for severe morning sickness. The Duchess, who was born in Berkshire, is believed to be around 13 to 14 weeks pregnant.
A St James's Palace spokesman said:
"Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to confirm they are expecting a baby in July," said a St James's Palace spokesman.
"The Duchess's condition continues to improve since her stay in hospital last month."
The Duchess of Cambridge celebrates her 31st birthday tomorrow but is unlikely to be partying into the small hours.
As Kate is pregnant, believed to be just over 12 weeks, celebrations are expected to be low-key.
St James's Palace has said the Duchess will be marking her birthday "privately".
Kate is thought to be with her husband William at their home in north Wales where the Duke works as an RAF Search and Rescue helicopter pilot.
A romantic birthday meal at home could be on the cards for Kate who was born at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, on January 9 1982.
The Duchess of Cambridge was discharged from the King Edward VII Hospital today and was taken to Kensington Palace for a period of rest.
Kate left the central London private hospital where she has been treated since Monday for severe morning sickness looking relaxed.
She emerged carrying a bouquet of yellow flowers and walked from the building with William.
She gave a brief smile to the waiting press before being driven away with her husband.
Kate, who is less than 12 weeks pregnant, was wrapped up against the cold in a coat and scarf.
The royal couple will now spend time at their London home, Kensington Palace, to allow for the Duchess to recuperate from the effects of the severe morning sickness.
She was admitted on Monday after developing the condition known as hyperemesis gravidarum, and was suffering from the effects of dehydration.
For medical staff to allow Kate to go home, her severe vomiting must be under control and they are likely to have given her anti-sickness medication.
