Prince William and Kate Middleton made a surprise trip to Northern Ireland on Tuesday, where the couple’s chemistry was palpable.
Their excursion began with a visit to the newly opened Fire & Rescue Service’s learning college in Cookstown, where the Prince and Princess of Wales met with staff and took part in training exercises, including a ride in a fire engine.
“The Princess was saying, ‘I’d love to drive at the real speed and have the sirens on,” said graduate Caoimhe McNeice.
The couple, who both sported brown suede footwear, last visited Northern Ireland in October 2022, shortly after the death of Queen Elizabeth. Prince William made a brief visit to Belfast, the country’s capital, last year. In a statement, Kensington Palace said William and Kate would “spend the day visiting innovative organizations that showcase growth and investment in rural areas and demonstrate entrepreneurial and creative opportunities for young people.”
While they have carried out solo engagements in the past week, with Kate visiting Oxford as part of her early years mission and William attending a climate conference with King Charles, the couple looked delighted to be out together, and were openly affectionate with each other.
At one point, Kate placed her hand on William’s back as they arrived at the college, body chemistry which, according to one royal expert, signals a new level of openness from the couple.
“I doubt they planned the matching shoes, but it suggests a symmetry between them and a connection and they seem stronger than ever,” according to Ingrid Seward, royal author and editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine. “You certainly notice that they are very tactile and happy to show it.
Having had such a scare, it seems that they have grown much closer, and they are happy to show their physical affection in a way they weren’t before. William has always had a stiff upper lip because that’s how he was brought up. But he’s more open these days.”
Prince William spoke candidly with Eugene Levy for an episode of the Schitt’s Creek creator’s TV show, The Reluctant Traveler. William opened up about his childhood, the dissolution of his parents’ marriage and how 2024 – the year that King Charles and Princess Kate were both diagnosed with cancer – was the hardest year of his life.
“We are seeing William on a new level,” adds Seward. “This is a person who thinks about things very deeply. He would have thought about that interview and decided that Eugene Levy was the right person for him to talk to. He was very natural in a way we’ve not seen him before and I suspect he deliberately chose someone who wasn’t in the royal world because that was less threatening and allowed him to be himself.
Kate’s also become a lot more open and more herself and I think that’s post-illness. There’s a sense of her coming out of her shell and being herself.”
The couple has a busy fall to prepare for. On Monday, Buckingham Palace announced a state visit by Germany in early December and next month, Prince William will head to Brazil for his Earthshot Prize.
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