Prince William 'spared' heartbroken wife Kate Middleton from embarrassing situation

Prince William ensured Kate Middleton was spared from a potentially embarrassing situation in the past.

As the Princess of Wales recuperates from surgery, she will be absent from the St. Patrick's Day Parade, an event that has consistently featured in her schedule.

With her return to duties not scheduled until Easter following her operation, it's evident she won't be participating this year. Nonetheless, she has attended numerous times over the years, often donning Ireland's national color of green.

However, in 2013, she narrowly avoided an embarrassing moment due to a fashion mishap during the event.

At the parade, Kate was in charge of handing out traditional shamrocks, which are passed to the soldiers. But that year, while pregnant with Prince George, she almost tumbled to the ground after getting her shoe's heel caught in a drain cover. 

She tried to get her heel to budge after it became stuck but was unable to free herself without using her hands.

Luckily, husband William was on hand to help Kate steady herself without losing her shoe. She was then able to bend down to free her footwear, before carrying on with the ceremony.

At last year's St Patrick's Day event, Kate wore a coat dress, heels and hat in a vibrant shade of teal, meaning she really stood out from the crowd.

Meanwhile, Princess Kate and Prince William extended greetings of St. Patrick's Day to all their fans on social media.

On March 17, the official Instagram page of the Prince and Princess of Wales shared a few glimpses of Irish Guards rehearsing for the parade.

The official statement by the royal couple reads, "Happy St Patrick’s Day!"

"Here’s a sneak peek of the @irishguards rehearsing for their annual parade. Sláinte to all those celebrating today!"