Kate Mixes New and Old Styles for 2-Day Northern Ireland Visit

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