The Prince and Princess of Wales carried out a day of engagements in Northern Ireland Thursday. Below, you see them being welcomed by Dr Philip McGarry, Deputy Lieutenant of the County Borough of Belfast.
Baron and Lady Carrickfergus, as the couple is styled in Northern Ireland, visited PIPS Suicide Prevention Ireland, a mental health charity providing crisis support for those at risk of suicide and self-harm. Here you see the Princess receiving flowers from 12-year-old Elyse Quinn, whose mother is CEO of PIPS.
More from the Belfast Telegraph:
PIPS was founded in 2003 following the loss of 14 young people to suicide in Belfast over a short period of time the previous year.
During their visit, William and Kate spoke with staff about their work helping people at risk of suicide and self-harm.
PIPS officials said they “We had a fantastic conversation surrounding mental health & how we support those and their family affected by suicide.”
Northern Ireland Office
The royals helped pack “Little Boxes of Hope,” packages distributed to children receiving assistance from the charity.
The packages includes things like packets of ‘Little Seeds of Hope’ wildflower seeds.
The couple did a walkabout after leaving PIPS.
Another view.
Their next stop was at Trademarket, a food and retail market in the central part of Belfast, started with a goal of featuring new businesses.
They took part in a cocktail-making contest.
More from The Telegraph’s coverage of the day.
…William notched up a victory against his notoriously competitive wife when they were taught mixology at Trademarket before racing to see who could make the quickest cocktail.
The couple gamely accepted the challenge before stepping behind the bar and listening carefully to instructions.
Poised to start pouring, the Princess exclaimed: “He’s started,” to chuckles from William, and started herself, deftly pouring measures of the various drinks into a cocktail maker to create Up the Lagan in a Bubble. The cocktail was named after the river that flows through Belfast and local slang for “I wasn’t born yesterday.”
William remained marginally ahead, shaking the ingredients together, quickly pouring the drink over ice before adding a sprig of mint, and was declared the champion.
We return to The Telegraph piece one more time.
Will Neill, Trademarket’s founder, said: “It’s a fabulous collective we have here. We also have a bar and have a cocktail menu with drinks named after each of the vendors. The prince and princess spun a wheel to pick whose cocktail the would make. It was very good fun.
He added of the visit: “They were really good sports and outside of who they are, were just lovely, lovely people. It’s a boost to what we are trying to do here to have had them visit.”
A quick video from Kensington Palace.
Who did it better? pic.twitter.com/t24ifPmrI9
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) October 6, 2022
The couple’s final stop of the day was at Carrick Connect, a “Youth-led group dealing with anti social behaviour as well as positively equipping young adults through mentoring” per the organization’s Facebook page. The charity is based in Carrickfergus.
The organization offers mentoring services to people ages 11 – 25.
The couple met with young people receiving services from Carrick Connect, as well as staff and volunteers. The charity was presented with the Queen’s Award in Voluntary (QAVS) service, the highest award a group can receive and which is equivalent to an MBE.
The Princess with a little one she met, and Tracey on the right.
More from The Mirror’s story.
Kate, mum to Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, then cradles the infant in her arms as William gives her a knowing smile and jokes: “More babies, more babies” before conceding: “Catherine loves cuddling babies.” The prince then describes the baby as “very sweet”…
The royals also did a walkabout in Carrickfergus, located in County Antrim about ten miles from Belfast.
Above and below you see the couple with Mrs. Miranda Gordon, the county’s Vice Lord-Lieutenant.
Northern Ireland Office
There was quite a crowd eager to meet them along the city’s seafront.
From Northern Ireland World’s coverage.
Today’s visit came more than 60 years after the 1961 arrival of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to Carrickfergus during a tour of Northern Ireland.
The Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Noel Williams, said: “It was a huge honour to welcome the Prince and Princess to my hometown of Carrickfergus, and the response and joy of residents who came out in their droves is testament to the warmth and respect for our Royal Family here.
“Our strong links to the Royal Family and to their Royal Highnesses specifically are well documented – indeed we have a road named Prince William Way – and today was an event we will reflect on fondly for many years to come.
“Personally, as an RAF veteran and Wing Commander within the service, I also enjoyed conversing with Prince William, who himself was a skilled RAF search and rescue pilot, about our military pasts.
“I am so pleased Carrick Connect was recognised by the Royal couple for their commitment to our community and the transformational impact their initiatives have on the lives of so many young people in our Borough.
Below you see Carrickfergus Castle in the background, considered “one of the best preserved medieval structures in Ireland,” according to Antrim Coast and Glens.
Kensington Palace posted a quick video of the day’s activities.
Thank you for having us, Northern Ireland! pic.twitter.com/YmhDeYIoAd
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) October 6, 2022
Now for our look at what Kate wore in Northern Ireland.
She was in a coat we have seen before that remains unidentified. The soft blue design was initially worn for June engagements in Cambridgeshire.
With thanks to Carly at Kate Middleton Style for another terrific ID, her blouse is by Wisner London. The soft blue blouse (£295) is described as “95% Mulberry luxury quality silk with 5% elastane weaved in to allow for enhanced fit, ease of movement, a luxurious handle and to minimise creasing.”
Today’s ensemble referenced the azure shade known as Irish Blue (more info here and here).
The Princess accessorized with her Gianvito Rossi 105 suede pumps., shown below as worn on another occasion.
She brought back her DeMellier London Nano Montreal bag ($395).
And her Missoma Mini Pyramid Charm Hoop earrings ($110).
This is something of an abbreviated post. We are traveling and trying to deal with the site issues, which we think have been resolved, with the exception of the restoration of posts from mid-August through last week. Those files have been recovered and will be added back to the site next week. I apologize for the hassle-factor, I know it has been more than annoying for some of you.
Also today, a video from the Princess in support of patron of the Rugby Football Union.
More from this People story.
The Princess of Wales, who took over as patron of the Rugby Football League and the Rugby Football Union earlier this year, shared a video message wishing luck to the Red Roses as they compete in the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, which kicks off this weekend.
In the video, the Princess wears her Zara blazer, what looks like her Kiki McDonough citrine drops, and an England Rugby pin. We first saw the blazer when the Duchess of Cambridge visited Copenhagen in February of this year.
UPDATE: With thanks to Maurane for her comment, the blazer was first worn to a June 2021 football match.
Here is the video.
A special good luck message for the #RedRoses from our patron The Princess of Wales.
#TeamDream | @KensingtonRoyal pic.twitter.com/XsI5loL6U0— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) October 7, 2022
