The Prince and Princess of Wales have shared a sweet moment together during their surprise day-long visit to Northern Ireland today.
In a tender scene, Kate was photographed affectionately placing her hand on Prince William‘s back before the royal couple, both 43, rode in a fire truck and watched trainee firefighters take part in drills.
The pair, who looked perfectly in step in coordinated brown suede shoes, were visiting Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service’s new Learning and Development College, near Cookstown, County Tyrone, on their first stop of the day.
William and Kate, dressed in the bespoke Alexander McQueen forest green coat she first debuted in 2020 in Bradford, appeared delighted to be on their day-long trip, putting on a loved-up display as they repeatedly shared a giggle with one another.
For their second outing, the Prince and Princess visited Mallon Farm, a flax farm in County Tyrone that is spearheading the revival of flax growing for linen as a blueprint for sustainable farming systems.
Kate, who has long been passionate about the importance of the British textiles industry, and whose paternal ancestors were the owners of the woollen manufacturer and merchant, William Lupton & Co, in Leeds, even tried her hand at using a restored heritage machinery which is used for ‘breaking and scutching’ the fibre.
Swapping out of her designer midi coat, the royal nailed country chic in a brown skirt and grey jumper, teamed with a stylish green jacket and a pair of shamrock earrings for her second engagement of the action-packed day.
Earlier at the firefighters college, William and Kate watched as emergency workers simulated rescuing a casualty from a fast-flowing river and toured a warehouse space where others practised high rise rope and ladder rescues and tested breathing apparatus.
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The Princess of Wales appeared to be in excellent spirits as she attended the outing alongside her husband today
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William and Kate couldn’t keep the smiles from their faces as they took part in a training scenario at the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service’s new Learning and Development College
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Kate looked effortlessly elegant in her bespoke Alexander McQueen forest green midi coat that she first debuted in Bradford in 2020
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The Princess of Wales affectionately placed her hand on William’s back as the couple shared a sweet moment together, pictured, during their trip to Northern Ireland
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The Princess of Wales uses a restored heritage machine that is used for ‘breaking and scutching’ during her visit to Mallon Farm, a flax farm in County Tyrone
The couple were shown around the £50million site, which opened in May, by Chief Fire & Rescue Officer Aidan Jennings, walking past a replica village into a training warehouse where the drills were taking place.
They also met two recent graduates of the 18-week training course, firefighters Piarais McCaffery and Caoimhe McNeice, to hear about their experience of training at the 50-acre site, which is set in the countryside.
Elsewhere, William and Kate took part in a flood rescue drill, from the safety of the bank. Each attempted to throw a line attached to a float to rescue a ‘casualty’, played by an instructor, but didn’t manage to reach him as he was swept past by the current.
World class facilities include a flood water rescue simulator – one of only two in the world at a Fire service training facility – and, after watching hose drills outside the warehouse, the Prince and Princess boarded the fire appliance to head there and watch the simulated floodwater rescue.
The college is the largest investment ever undertaken by the NIFRS and is a training centre for all NIFRS employees. Training with other emergency service workers and partner agencies also takes place there.
Kate joked that she wanted to drive at full speed with the ‘sirens on’ as she and the Prince rode in the back of a fire engine but the driver was told strictly no, according to newly qualified firefighter Caoimhe McNeice, who joined the royal couple for the ride.
‘The Princess was saying, “I’d love to drive at the real speed and have the sirens on,” but they were getting to the water rescue [area], it was just a bit of banter,’ she added.
‘She was wanting the Prince to drive, but no, the driver got us there safely anyway,’ added Caoimhe.
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The Prince and Princess share a joke together during their visit to Mallon Farm, a flax farm in County Tyrone
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The royal couple looked perfectly in step in coordinated brown suede shoes for their visit
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The Princess and Prince of Wales at the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service’s (NIFRS) new Learning and Development College
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The Prince and Princess of Wales speak with firefighters during a visit to the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Learning and Development College near Cookstown, Co Tyrone
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The Prince of Wales during his visit to the firefighters college in Northern Ireland on Tuesday
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William appeared delighted to take part in a training scenario at the college on Tuesday
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The beaming couple appeared delighted to be on their day-long trip, putting on a loved-up display as they repeatedly shared a giggle with one another
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The Prince and Princess of Wales took part in a training scenario at the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service’s (NIFRS) new Learning and Development College
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Mark Deeney (pictured left), Assistant Chief Fire & Rescue Officer, and the Princess during the visit to the college today
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Prince William and Kate were full of laughter as they toured the college in Northern Ireland
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The Princess of Wales teamed her stylish coat with a pair of dazzling shamrock earrings
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The Prince and Princess of Wales visit the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service’s (NIFRS) new Learning and Development College
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Before leaving, the couple (pictured) were presented with three red ‘Bump’ caps for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Princes Louis – baseball caps with a reinforced inner layer usually worn to tackle wildfires
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Kate looked typically sophisticated in her midi coat which she teamed with brown boots
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The royal couple (pictured right) appeared fascinated by the drills taking place, with William in particular asking lots of questions about the equipment
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The Prince and Princess of Wales observe a training scenario taking place at the college
