Prince William and Kate Middleton Make Official Visit to Northern Ireland
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge dazzled on the red carpet last night at the premiere of Bond movie No Time To Die. But there was no morning off afterwards as they were back to regular duties today with a trip to Derry/Londonderry in Northern Ireland where they are spending the day meeting young people across the county.
Kate swapped her golden Jenny Packham gown for a smart purple suit as she and William arrived at midday. “It’s great to be back in Northern Ireland for a day in Derry-Londonderry hearing from young people about how life has been during the pandemic and meeting organizations working across communities,” Kensington Palace posted in a tweet just after they arrived and the embargo was lifted on the details of the visit. Notably, there is dispute over the name of the city and county of Derry/Londonderry. Irish nationalists generally use the term Derry with unionists often favoring Londonderry, the official name that the area was given in 1613 when King James I granted the city a royal charter.
It is the couple’s first time in this part of Northern Ireland, having previously visited other areas on a number of occasions including in 2016 and 2019.
William and Kate’s first stop today was Ulster University’s Magee Campus where they met in person some of the nursing students they spoke to digitally earlier this year. They also saw a specially-designed simulated ambulance which has been built to train Paramedic Science students. Despite COVID-19 restrictions having become more relaxed in the UK, the couple wore masks inside the university. Additionally, they met with the first cohort of medical students accepted into the university’s new School of Medicine, which Kensington Palace highlighted was “established this year in response to the nationwide shortage in the medical workforce.”
The royals also dropped into the Student Union where they had the opportunity to sample some local food and drinks including whiskey to wheaten bread and Tayto crisps, as well as listen to music students play traditional instruments.
After a summer break, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have returned to duties this fall with a busy program. As life returns to normal following the pandemic they have been able to resume a more normal timetable of duties including large-scale events such as premieres and drinks receptions.
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