The Prince and Princess of Wales Visited Northern Ireland For a Series of Engagements

On Thursday, October 6, The Prince and Princess of Wales made their first official visit to Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, since Prince William became an heir-apparent to the British throne. Northern Ireland is a constituent country of the United Kingdom since 1921.

They carried out a series of public engagements and visited charities. They arrived in Belfast with a warm welcome from the crowd, with some bringing placards and lining up the route to greet the newly minted Prince and Princess of Wales. 

Heckling Incident

One minor incident of heckling happened while the royal couple did a walkabout in Belfast to greet the crowd. As she was doing a round of handshakes with women, Catherine was heckled by one Irish Nationalist.

Catherine was heckled by a woman in a green cardigan

The woman, who was wearing an emerald green Cardigan (the Republic of Ireland is known as the emerald isle), appeared to be recording the walkabout moment. She said to Kate: "Nice to meet you but it would be better if it was when you were in your own country".

According to ITV News royal correspondent, Chris Ship: "The woman said: Ireland belongs to the Irish". It was an isolated moment, nevertheless, it is a reminder of the divisions on the island of Ireland that the future Queen Consort is told while in Northern Ireland, she is not in her ‘own country".

It was indeed an isolated incident. Catherine appeared to remain composed and just laughed when the woman said those things. She was praised for her poise and dignity in handling the situation. In the video shared by Chris Ship on his Twitter account, Catherine laughed and withdrew her hand from the woman. She then moved to the other members of the crowd to greet them.

PIPS Charity Visit

PIPS stands for Public Initiative for Prevention of Suicide and Self Harm. It is a crisis support service in Belfast that aims to provide assistance to people at high risk of suicide and self-harm. It promotes mental health and self-care.

They joined a group of volunteer counselors in packing up the charity’s Little Boxes of Hope. The support packages are given to children following their time with PIPS to assist their ongoing recovery and ensure that their parents and guardians feel better equipped to cope.

PIPS Charity took to social media to thank the couple for the visit, "It was an absolute pleasure and honor to have HRH Prince and Princess of Wales visit our Belfast offices today to learn more about our essential life-saving services. We had a fantastic conversation surrounding mental health and how we support those and their family affected by suicide".

A Visit to Carrickfergus

The final visit of the day was to the county of Antrim in the town of Carrickfergus, where the couple posed before the historic Carrickfergus castle. It is a domain of one of Prince William's peer titles, Baron Carrickfergus. 

Carrickfergus Castle in the background

Hundreds of people lined the Marine Highway to greet the royal couple as they made their way to visit the youth charity, Carrick Connect. They exchanged handshakes and fist-bumps with local schoolchildren.

The Prince and Princess of Wales met with the volunteers and team behind Carrick Connect which supports children and young people in the community with social and emotional difficulties. 

Carrick Connect offers support services to local young people experiencing social or emotional difficulties. While at the center, the couple met with infants, and Catherine, who is known for her affinity for children, cuddled a baby while Prince William laughed at her side.

Cocktail Challenge

The Prince and Princess of Wales made the second stop of their day trip at an outdoor market called "Trademarket", with a bar serving a spirited cocktail. The couple gamely participated in a cocktail-making race.

Kensington Royal on Twitter posted a video of William and Catherine making cocktails, and putting a caption, "Who did it better?"

The Prince of Wales won 😄 After the race, the couple had a conversation with Will Neil, a local entrepreneur behind the Trademarket enterprise, and heard about his purpose of showcasing new businesses while increasing footfall in a less visited area of the city.

Trademarket is more like a street market where members of the community and tourists can enjoy artisan food, drinks, and products from local, and independent vendors. 

The couple also met with representatives from Kainos, a Belfast-based software company that came on board and provided the site for the market at a peppercorn rent. 

They heard about the measures of making the place ethically and environmentally sustainable, including the removal of single-use plastics and a commitment to paying staff a real living wage

The Princess of Wales's fashion

For her first visit to Northern Ireland as Princess of Wales, Catherine wore a light blue coat believed to be from Alexander McQueen, which she teamed up with a matching silk inner blouse worth £295 from Winser London.

She also recycled her navy trousers and Gianvito Rossi navy blue suede pumps, and completed her getup with a pair of gold hoops earrings. She also carried a black polished handbag from DeMellier London with a tag price of £295. 

Prince William's Title

In April 2011, on the eve of his wedding, Prince William was bestowed several peer titles by his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II: Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, and Baron Carrickfergus. 

On the occasion of his father's accession to the throne, Prince William automatically became Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay (his title when he is in Scotland), Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland. 

King Charles III bestowed on him the title Prince of Wales on September 9, 2022. Prince William's general title is The Prince of Wales.

Photo credit: Chris Jackson for Getty Images, Reuters, PA, Shutterstock