Top of the mornin’ to you! Prince William and Duchess Catherine have touched down in Belfast, Northern Ireland, for a whirlwind two-day tour and the royal couple have already been hard at work.
The Cambridge duo are visiting Belfast, Fermanagh and Ballymena in Northern Ireland but did not reveal the details of their two-day trip for security reasons.
And like her pregnant sister-in-law on her recent trip to Morocco with Prince Harry, Duchess Catherine has had a few costume changes for her various engagements.
For day one, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (or Baron and Lady Carrickfergus as they’re known in Northern Ireland) greeted well-wishers at Belfast’s National Stadium, home of the Irish Football Association.
The duchess wore a bright red coat by Carolina Herrera teamed with L K Bennett black lace-up boots and her Kiki McDonough gold leaf-shaped earrings, with her hair loose in its signature bouncy waves.
Both she and Prince William were in fine form as they waved and received flowers from the children of Fane Street Primary School, St Brides Primary School, Victoria College and Fullerton House.
Duchess Catherine was gifted with many beautiful blooms as she arrived in Ireland. (Images: Getty Images)
The royals also had the opportunity to meet Northern Irish footballing legend Pat Jennings and were shown a bronze cast print of the goalkeeper’s “safe hands”.
Avid football fan Prince William was keen to compare his own hands, but the royal couple also had an opportunity to show off their sporty sides when they joined the Irish Football Association for a kick about.
Could Prince William have goalkeeper potential? (Image: Getty Images)
Swapping her more formal outfit for black skinny jeans and a puffer jacket, Duchess Catherine took part in a dribbling drill and wasn’t afraid to take on her husband either!
William and Catherine chatted to representatives from a variety of sports programmes and learnt about the Irish Football Association’s community football projects including Female Football Leaders, aimed to encourage more women into key decision roles within football, and Powerchair, a programme designed for those using wheelchairs.
HELLO! reported that Duchess Catherine told secondary school pupils that Prince George is currently learning how to play football and tells her, “Mummy, you’re so rubbish.” She even told another group that she “should have picked up some tips from George.”
Prince William, who previously told his wife, “there is no chivalry in sport” did joke that the children weren’t old enough to tackle.
We don’t think she looks rubbish at all! (Image: Getty Images)
Even George, Charlotte and Louis got a little present from the Belfast trip! (Image: Getty Images)
Duchess Catherine stayed in her activewear for the next engagement at Roscor Youth Village in Fermanagh, a residential activity centre where children can have access to a safe space to help, supporting them through outdoor activities and developing independent living skills.
William and Catherine participated in events ranging from archery to an obstacle course to even a canoe race which Prince William won.
But after the day of activities was done, it was Duchess Catherine’s final outfit for the evening events that has left us starry-eyed.
The duchess sparkled in a Missoni gown worth £1,590 (AUD2,963). (Images: Getty Images)
Dressed in a shimmering Missoni dress and accessorised with a pink Mulberry clutch and matching Gianvito Rossi heels, the royal mum-of-three literally glowed as she and Prince William attended a reception at Belfast’s Empire Music Hall for a party celebrating young people in Belfast making a difference in the community.
In his speech, Prince William said, “Catherine and I are grateful to be amongst so many inspirational young leaders this evening. Over the course of the day, we’ve had the great privilege of meeting some of you personally and seeing first-hand the work that you are doing.”
“From using sport to encourage people to talk openly about mental health to delivering services to children and young people who are at risk of entering care or custody – the work you do transcends community divisions and is helping deliver a brighter future for everybody in Northern Ireland.”
WATCH: Duchess Catherine pulls a pint in Northern Ireland. Post continues…
But it wasn’t all formal speeches and handshakes on Wednesday night for the couple.
To celebrate, the couple headed behind the bar and pulled a couple of pints to celebrate the young people of the night, and Duchess Catherine seems like a natural.
Bring on day two!
Cheers to day one in Belfast! (Image: Getty Images)
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