The Baron and Baroness of Carrickfergus are in Northern Ireland for a previously unannounced two-day visit. 
Their first stop was at Windsor Park Football Stadium, home of the Irish Football Association. A video of their arrival.
👋 A fantastic welcome for The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in Belfast! #RoyalVisitNI pic.twitter.com/62DGADEHoL
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) February 27, 2019
They were greeted by crowds of children and adults when they arrived. 
The sun was out and temps were in the mid-50s this afternoon.
Below, they meet the legendary Pat Jennings, a former goalkeeper for Northern Ireland.
Here you see the royals learning about the Association’s “Ahead of the Game” project, which works to support clubs and volunteers when dealing with mental health issues. 
Below, looking at the British Championship trophy, won by Northern Ireland when it was last played in 1984. 
The Duke and Duchess were given football jerseys for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis; below you see three children holding up the jerseys.
⚽💚 Thank you @OfficialIrishFA for the lovely gift of @NorthernIreland shirts for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis! #GAWA #RoyalVisitNI pic.twitter.com/ecOA050Qaf
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) February 27, 2019
The children showing the shirts look very serious! (And cute!)
They played football with children who are participating in the Football Association’s Shooting Stars program, which encourages girls aged four to seven to play football.
There were also children from the McDonald’s “Fun Football” initiative, designed to get kids of all ages to play the game for the first time. From The Evening Standard’s coverage:
Kate told secondary school pupils that her five-year-old son, Prince George, is now learning to play the sport, practising at home and telling her: “Mummy, you’re so rubbish.”
Telling another group she would be joining in the games, she joked: “I should have picked up some tips from George.”
Kensington Palace reports the Football Association “…is working to promote, foster and develop youth football for all in Northern Ireland, creating a fun, safe and inclusive culture.”
The Evening Standard reports “William warned the youngsters of his wife telling them: “look out, she goes for the ankles,” before shouting “tackle her!” At one point Kate put her arm around a little girl named Jasmine; back to the Evening Standard piece:
…the Duchess comforted Jasmine, nine, who had become a little overwhelmed by her royal visitor. Nadine Murphy, a coach, said afterwards: “The Duchess took her time and spoke to her about being shy, telling her it’s ok and a good thing. She made sure she loved football.
She stayed with her the whole time with her arm around her. “She said ‘I was shy at school as well and it’s ok’.”
The Duke and Duchess then visited Roscor Youth Village in County Fermanagh, a few miles from the Irish border. The Village is a residential activity center run by the charity Extern for children referred there by Department of Justice social workers. 
Children are given the opportunity to enjoy more than 50 fun water and land-based activities at Roscor. Below, Kate helps set up a tent.
More about the charity from its website:
Roscor is a haven of hope, and place of safety, for more than 2,500 children and young people from across the island of Ireland each year. Many come to stay when they are facing challenging situations at home, or in care, and while they are being supported on one of Extern’s programmes. In addition, Roscor also offers an additional 200 children from the Western Health and Social Care Trust access to summer camps each year, so that they can experience a fun-filled holiday break.
The Baroness tried her hand at archery. 
And squared off against William in a canoe race.
A video of the race.
🏁🛶 A victory for The Duke of Cambridge’s team in the canoe race at @Extern1978’s Roscor Youth Village #RoyalVisitNI pic.twitter.com/6aN0fpwII8
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) February 27, 2019
The tiles Kate and William signed marking their visit. 
This is Kate’s third trip to the country.
She also visited just before her wedding in 2011.
Now for our look at what Kate wore, starting with her Carolina Herrera coat.
She brought back her Marissa booties from LK Bennett. 
The jacket is by Barbour, the Longshore Quilted Padded Jacket (£160, about $215 at today’s exchange rates).
It is described as providing lightweight warmth on cooler days, and features a chevron quilted design, funnel neck, two-way front zipper, stretch panels on the side, and curved hem. We show it at John Lewis, but it is also offered at Next, at Outdoor & Country, and Philip Morris Direct. Thank you to Susanne on the Facebook page for this ID.
She was also wearing a sweater by Ralph Lauren, the brand’s Cable-Knit Cricket Sweater.
It is a viscose/nylon/wool/cotton/cashmere blend, with ribbing at the neckline, waistband and cuffs modeled on the original Ralph Lauren Cricket Sweater created in 1972. Our thanks to Bojanana and Lady Parky for their speedy sweater ID.
Kate’s sneakers are by New Balance, the Fresh Foam Cruz Sneakers.
The lightweight shoe is a slip-on style with foam cushioning for comfort. We show the sneaker at Sweaty Betty ($90); the shoe is also offered at DSW ($69.99); it is carried at New Balance ($59.99); it’s also available at Zappos ($52.17); at Eastbay ($49.99), and at Amazon ($54.95). UPDATE 3/1: Some retailers have the V2, a newer version and the white portion is “pebbled,” or textured. Our thanks to Middleton Maven for the sneaker ID.
Kate wore her Kiki McDonough Lauren Earrings (£1833, roughly $2440 at today’s exchange rates).
- Visit the Football Association’s website here; its Facebook page is here; its Instagram page is here, and Twitter feed here
- The Belfast Telegraph’s live coverage is here; The Evening Standard‘s story is here; the BBC’s article is here
- Stephanie Petit’s People piece is here; PopSugar’s gallery on the arrival is here; PopSugar’s gallery on the football player is here; Ainhoa Barcelona’s Hello! story is here
Love all her looks in this trip, hope they can get back to doing this all again soon.
I have those boots and i’m in love with her red coat.
What a great day of events! This is Kate in her element. I love every look from this day and disagree with other comments that the Carolina Herrera coat is too formal; on the contrary, while it has been worn in formal contexts before, I think seeing it today shows it’s quite versatile and can be dressed up or down. When we saw those boots with the green dress at another children’s event I couldn’t imagine what other outfit they might look good with, but here they help adapt the coat to be just a touch more casual. The red of the coat is also a nice nod to Northern Ireland’s flag.
I actually thought at first that the sweater was a repeat, it reminded me of one we had seen in Australia way back when, before seeing that it was from Ralph Lauren. It’s a great choice for a day of athletic events without being too sporty and, like another commenter mentioned, it’s the kind of look I imagine Kate sporting on days without engagements.
Someone seems to point it out on every post, but I have to say it again – Kate’s best accessory is her smile! I feel like she has been glowing and engaged at all her post-maternity-leave events like never before. It seems she has really found her place in the royal family with the charities and causes she supports. And now she has a big family at home as well, she must be so happy. 🙂
I love Kate in sporty outfits. !!!!!
What a lovely coat, Catherine looks great in casual to formal wear. How practical to wear her jeans underneath to take to the fields. William and Kate are going to be a special king and queen.
This was a happy surprise to see Will and Kate yesterday!
FYI, I was just at Target earlier today and saw basically an identical sweater to the one Kate is wearing. So if anybody wants a “RepliKate” for way cheap, check out Target!
Oh and by the way, thank you for that photo of her previous Ireland visit, with the brocade coat and the cinnamon-roll hat! I just loved that hat and I thought she looked absolutely divine that day.
😊
The coat is great. I’m not sure I’ve seen pics of it with jeans, but I do agree that seems odd for what would otherwise be a traditional coatdress look for her. As some others have said, if you’re going to wear it with pants and those boots anyway, why not just throw it over the black leggings and save yourself a wardrobe change?
The highlight for me was her interaction with the girl who was so overwhelmed. Some might think that’s the kind of thing a public person can just turn on or off at will, and that they do it mostly for the cameras, but we’ve seen plenty of public figures who are absolutely incapable of that kind of empathy. It seems very genuine for the…Baroness. I love their Irish titles!!
Has anyone figured out a site that will deliver the Barbour jacket to the U.S.? Thanks!
If you have a gorgeous Carolina Herrera coat (or 20) in your closet and you are going to an event where you have to “arrive” and then engage in sports events with young children, why not throw it (or one of them) on over some leggings and and a sweater and add some cute boots? I say go right ahead and do it! It’s perfect!
I loved the coat with the leggings and boots. I also loved the cricket sweater, but I think it should have been a size smaller. It looked a bit baggy to me.
I thought the trainers were hideous!
I agree with almost everything you said. Why not wear the coat over the black jeans and cute boots? 🙂
I loved everything about the second look (except the trainers) of the day and want that sweater for myself. I agree the trainers were hideous. She has such cute black and white ones (I think she wore them to a sailing event last year) and they would look so much better with this ensemble.
I loved how happy and smiley and even slightly tactile Will and Kate were at all the outdoor events.
Unfortunately I still feel the same way about her booties as I did the first time I saw them- a bit too modern and edgy to be worn with a more formal coat dress. In fact, I don’t think they would be suitable with most of the outfits in her wardrobe… maybe if she wore them more casually… with skinny jeans & a blazer perhaps?
Otherwise, I love both outfits she wore (as well as the mint dress she wore later on in the evening). I like the Ralph Lauren sweater especially, a nice change from her trusty horizontal stripes! I think you have to have a very specific body type to pull off that fit and she rocks it well!
This was a great surprise and I like how Kate managed a little capsule wardrobe on these day engagements.
Your pictures don’t really show it but she wore jeans under the red Carolina Herrera coat. The coat is very nice (a rewear I think?) but it is very formal and looks very odd paired with casual jeans (which at first I thought were tights when I saw pictures!). I feel like she has so many other casual coats she could have worn for her arrival as it was clear she was going to be engaged in athletic activities after the official greeting. And the booties were nice too, but I just feel she could have arrived in a casual outfit and left it one, the switcheroo was a bit unnecessary but that’s nitpicking. But her clothes she wore for all the sports were fine, she’s always done casual very well.
Kate is always in her element with activities involving kids and sports. She should do more of those kinds of engagements! Also as someone who has recently taken up archery, I was very impressed she gave it a try. It is not as easy as it looks! And your arms get tired!
The Duchess looks lovely in her red coat, I liked it before and it looks just as good now, but I am not a fan of the tights underneath, should be worn with a dress and not keen on the boots. Personal preference of course. Love her casual gear. Great to see the Duke and Duchess at such an engagement. I felt for the little one who was shy and struggling. I know what that is like, unfortunately I am still like that, it takes effort sometimes that you just don’t have. The Duchess was great with her, that sort of thing, from anyone helps so much that little bit of reassurance, sometimes that is all you need to be able to get through the moment. It is a pity more people out there cannot adopt the same thing.
Awwwww. I was a shy child too and I always try not to be overwhelming or intimidating to sky kiddos, who I think are so cute. Kate is very kind and sweet.
I think a more sophisticated wrap coat or a close fitting cocoon coat would have worked much better with those jeans and booties than Kate’s choice, and it seems there’s a bit of a consensus around that.
“She stayed with her the whole time with her arm around her. “She said ‘I was shy at school as well and it’s ok’.””
As one who was also shy at school, this was so endearing.
Solid choice all around and fun activities today. Thank you, admin, for that glimpse of the ruffle-edged Burberry from the first visit to the north! Still an all-time fave and sad we’ve never seen a repeat. If Kate is done with it, I’ll happily take a hand-me-down!
Did anyone else notice that Charlotte’s name on her jersey was spelled with two r’s?
Its just the font of the A & R are similar, it is actually the correct spelling
No, the A and the R look very similar, but there’s definitely only one of each.
If you check out @allthingspretty on Instagram, there is a great video of Kate chatting with visitors, and she refers to Charlotte as “Lottie.” Just found that fun and interesting 😊
No, it is not…take a closer look. The print is misleading. 😃
I love those black boots, and I’d love a pair for myself! I also love the re-wear of the red coat…. although I agree the feminine, classic and gentle lines of the coat don’t necessarily go with the modern, chunky boots. Oh well… it is such a small thing, and I like that she’s experimenting with boots, jeans with a coat (instead of the coat dress look), etc.
She looks so lovely and they are such a great team. Not loving the jeggings with the coat but I think they were worn for practical reasons.
This look had me all kinds of confused. I had expected to see an entire outfit change but instead it’s simply a coat change.
I expected an entirely different outfit under that beautiful red coat, a dress or suit, not jeans and a sweater.
I like the look, but it’s so unexpected from Kate!
Dare I say it’s very Meghan, actually, as she does the designer coat and casual look so well. Maybe the sisters-in-law are swapping style secrets?
It appears she has on a black sweater when she’s wearing the red coat (by the cuffs showing).
These sorts of surprise engagements are always a treat, and today was no exception. I’ve always gotten the sense that Kate is at her happiest when there are sports and kids involved, and today’s engagements produced some of the warmest, cheeriest photos I’ve ever seen of her.
There’s not a ton to say about Kate’s clothes here, but her casual jacket/sweater/skinny jeans/sneakers combo strikes a perfect balance between being sporty, classy, and accessible. This is exactly how I imagine her dressing when she’s at home running around with her kids; while that may or may not be entirely accurate, I think it contributes to the warmth that she’s exuding today.
I’m a big fan of the boots and the Carolina Herrera coat separately, but think that the coat is too formal to be worn with skinny jeans and DEFINITELY too formal for the boots. Assuming that she didn’t want to wear a dress, I would have loved to see her pair her skinny jeans with 70-80mm pointed-toe pumps and a sharp mid-thigh length coat for her arrival at the stadium.
Excited for your post on tonight’s Missoni dress and to see what tomorrow brings us!
It’s a wonderful surprise to see William and Kate again, and to see the lovely Herrera coat again. I wasn’t sure of the coat the first time we saw it in Canada as I found the hang of the skirt a little strange, seeming to bunch over the hips. But on each subsequent occasion it has grown on me and the drape has improved.
I still like those boots and think they are just great with jeans, but find them a bit out of place against the sleek designer coat, the laces seem jarring by poking out. But I can see the logic of slipping the smart coat over an outfit that Kate wants to adapt for sporting activities later.
The new Barbour looks very handy and the Ralph Lauren jumper a classic, both comfortable and smart. I’ve never held much of a candle for sneakers so as long as Kate finds them comfy that’s good. When playing football or erecting tents the look of one’s footwear is rather less important than comfort and practicality.
We’re seeing a lot of those Lauren earrings these days, they work fine in a formal context, but strike me as out of place for sport being on the delicate, feminine side of things. I’m not a fan of them as I often find them twee looking, but Kate loves them so that’s fine by me.
I always found it odd people say that about her earrings when she’s doing sports as that’s a bit of a things I did when I was simply in the habit of wearing them every day. I was simply in the habit of not changing out my day-to-day earrings which are rather cutesy.
However, after being nearly DQ’d at Special Olympics for wearing earrings, I’ve forgotten to put them back in. >.>
Does anyone know why there have been so many unannounced visits/ engagements lately? I feel like in the past six months there have been a lot more (not that I’m complaining, I love surprises!)
All visits to Northern Ireland are unannounced for security reasons, for all royals.
It’s so refreshing to see William and Kate at these functions especially with the children. They look so down to earth and relaxed you’d think they were not royal.
When she smiles ,as today, i love everything she wears,ankle boots too!And i’m sure that’s why I adore her outfits so much…
What a wonderful surprise to have this visit occur! Kate navigated the day with sartorial aplomb and seemed very comfortable and confident. The red re-wear is a winner and interestingly paired with the funky modern booties. The RL sweater is to die for . . . I love this classic tennis/cricket look that both men and women have adapted and am going to look for a similar item myself!
I love seeing ‘Sporty Kate’, and her interaction and bonding with the girls was especially heartwarming. I also always enjoy the affectionate competitiveness that she and William clearly revel in with each other in these athletic situations.
I like Kate’s sporty outfit worn outdoors at Windsor Park Football Stadium and Roscor Youth Village. She’s pairing navy and black too, and it works!
Went to the RL link and the Cricket Sweater is sold out – all sizes. Disappointed, will have to check around.
Not feeling Kate’s arrival look with the red Carolina Herrera coat, black sweater – or such, leggings/jeans (same ones worn at the stadium and youth village?) and eyelet booties. With the coat’s Peter Pan collar, covered buttons and full skirt it just seemed like an odd choice to pair with the other pieces.
I agree about the coat. To me it is a coat meant to be worn with dresses and skirts. I love her other choices today, though, and I much prefer the booties with these pants than with a dress as we saw them last.
Of all the wonderful, melodic Irish music, the song “Carrickfergus” is my absolute favourite. So I am thrilled that Kate is Barroness of Carrickfergus, when she is in Northern Ireland.
This coat is a nice repeat and Kate always looks great in red. The clunky combat boots are growing on me, although I’d prefer a more feminine boot. Kate’s casual clothing is perfect for the occasion and the Ralph Lauren cricket sweater is such a classic.
I do have to comment on Kate’s interaction with children and youth. Her warmth is so genuine and there is nothing fake about it. Her kindness even outshines her beauty. She is such an asset to the Royal Family. And the younger royals are such good sports in participating in physical activities. Kate actually seems to relish them.
I was in Belfast in the spring and so enjoyed seeing the Titanic exhibit. Pity that wasn’t part of this tour.
Kate looked great. Love the red Carolina Herrara coat. I’m not a fan of the booties. Kate is in her element with the sporty looks, also. I’ve been eyeing those same New Balance shoes in grey.
Although this is a blog about fashion, the thing that touched me the most was Kate’s kindness and comfort to the little girl. Kate is the best.
Beautiful, vibrant looks for arrival and playing soccer. Love the ponytail!
I was especially touched by Kate’s admission to the overwhelmed girl of being shy when she was in school. I cannot imagine the internal struggle of a shy girl who grew up and is now in the global spotlight, her every facial expression photographed, discussed and publicized all over the world.
Kudos to Kate, for her gracious poise at every royal engagement.
Yes!! Grace and poise, every single time. I can’t even make it one day without a faux pas of some type!
Yes I’m sure Kate really empathised with that little girl because she knows exactly how she feels.
Thank you for the great post! I loved the outfits today. Although I wasn’t a big fan of the very dark tights under the red coat, I see now that she is wearing the jeans we see her in when she is playing soccer. It makes sense that she would wear those under the coat so she could just change her top and be ready to go. On another note, I wish had her body after having 3 kids! In fact, I would have loved to have her body BEFORE I had my kids!
These looks are great for me. Love the vivid red of the coat and the booties again add a fresher, younger, and more modern touch. The Ralph Lauren sweater is great, too…she looks good in v-necks. AND she took off her coat inside! Wins all around.
What a great day! And post! 🙂 Loved the clothes, and the happy smiles, and interactions with the kids and (especially!) her husband. Fun. And just so this isn’t a completely sugary sweet comment….still don’t like those black boots! 🙂