Beaming Princess of Wales pats William affectionately as the couple share a loved-up moment on surprise visit to Northern Ireland

The Prince and Princess of Wales have shared a sweet moment together during their surprise day-long visit to Northern Ireland today.

In a tender scene, Kate was photographed affectionately placing her hand on Prince William‘s back before the royal couple, both 43, rode in a fire truck and watched trainee firefighters take part in drills.

The pair, who looked perfectly in step in coordinated brown suede shoes, were visiting Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service’s new Learning and Development College, near Cookstown, County Tyrone, on their first stop of the day.

William and Kate, dressed in the bespoke Alexander McQueen forest green coat she first debuted in 2020 in Bradford, appeared delighted to be on their day-long trip, putting on a loved-up display as they repeatedly shared a giggle with one another.

For their second outing, the Prince and Princess visited Mallon Farm, a flax farm in County Tyrone that is spearheading the revival of flax growing for linen as a blueprint for sustainable farming systems.

Kate, who has long been passionate about the importance of the British textiles industry, and whose paternal ancestors were the owners of the woollen manufacturer and merchant, William Lupton & Co, in Leeds, even tried her hand at using a restored heritage machinery which is used for ‘breaking and scutching’ the fibre.

Swapping out of her designer midi coat, the royal nailed country chic in a brown skirt and grey jumper, teamed with a stylish green jacket and a pair of shamrock earrings for her second engagement of the action-packed day.

Earlier at the firefighters college, William and Kate watched as emergency workers simulated rescuing a casualty from a fast-flowing river and toured a warehouse space where others practised high rise rope and ladder rescues and tested breathing apparatus.

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The Princess of Wales appeared to be in excellent spirits as she attended the outing alongside her husband today

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William and Kate couldn’t keep the smiles from their faces as they took part in a training scenario at the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service’s new Learning and Development College

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Kate looked effortlessly elegant in her bespoke Alexander McQueen forest green midi coat that she first debuted in Bradford in 2020

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The Princess of Wales affectionately placed her hand on William’s back as the couple shared a sweet moment together, pictured, during their trip to Northern Ireland

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The Princess of Wales uses a restored heritage machine that is used for ‘breaking and scutching’ during her visit to Mallon Farm, a flax farm in County Tyrone

The couple were shown around the £50million site, which opened in May, by Chief Fire & Rescue Officer Aidan Jennings, walking past a replica village into a training warehouse where the drills were taking place.

They also met two recent graduates of the 18-week training course, firefighters Piarais McCaffery and Caoimhe McNeice, to hear about their experience of training at the 50-acre site, which is set in the countryside.

Elsewhere, William and Kate took part in a flood rescue drill, from the safety of the bank. Each attempted to throw a line attached to a float to rescue a ‘casualty’, played by an instructor, but didn’t manage to reach him as he was swept past by the current.

World class facilities include a flood water rescue simulator – one of only two in the world at a Fire service training facility – and, after watching hose drills outside the warehouse, the Prince and Princess boarded the fire appliance to head there and watch the simulated floodwater rescue.

The college is the largest investment ever undertaken by the NIFRS and is a training centre for all NIFRS employees. Training with other emergency service workers and partner agencies also takes place there.

Kate joked that she wanted to drive at full speed with the ‘sirens on’ as she and the Prince rode in the back of a fire engine but the driver was told strictly no, according to newly qualified firefighter Caoimhe McNeice, who joined the royal couple for the ride.

‘The Princess was saying, “I’d love to drive at the real speed and have the sirens on,” but they were getting to the water rescue [area], it was just a bit of banter,’ she added.

‘She was wanting the Prince to drive, but no, the driver got us there safely anyway,’ added Caoimhe.

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The Prince and Princess share a joke together during their visit to Mallon Farm, a flax farm in County Tyrone

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The royal couple looked perfectly in step in coordinated brown suede shoes for their visit

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The Princess and Prince of Wales at the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service’s (NIFRS) new Learning and Development College

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The Prince and Princess of Wales speak with firefighters during a visit to the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Learning and Development College near Cookstown, Co Tyrone

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The Prince of Wales during his visit to the firefighters college in Northern Ireland on Tuesday

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William appeared delighted to take part in a training scenario at the college on Tuesday

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The beaming couple appeared delighted to be on their day-long trip, putting on a loved-up display as they repeatedly shared a giggle with one another

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The Prince and Princess of Wales took part in a training scenario at the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service’s (NIFRS) new Learning and Development College

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Mark Deeney (pictured left), Assistant Chief Fire & Rescue Officer, and the Princess during the visit to the college today

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Prince William and Kate were full of laughter as they toured the college in Northern Ireland

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The Princess of Wales teamed her stylish coat with a pair of dazzling shamrock earrings

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The Prince and Princess of Wales visit the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service’s (NIFRS) new Learning and Development College

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Before leaving, the couple (pictured) were presented with three red ‘Bump’ caps for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Princes Louis – baseball caps with a reinforced inner layer usually worn to tackle wildfires

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Kate looked typically sophisticated in her midi coat which she teamed with brown boots

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The royal couple (pictured right) appeared fascinated by the drills taking place, with William in particular asking lots of questions about the equipment

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The Prince and Princess of Wales observe a training scenario taking place at the college

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The Prince and Princess rode in a fire truck and watched trainee firefighters take part in drills

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The beaming Princess styled her hair into glamorous curls for the day-long trip to Northern Ireland

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The Princess of Wales chatted with a firefighter on a visit to the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service’s (NIFRS) new Learning and Development College

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The Princess spoke with Mark Deeney, Assistant Chief Fire & Rescue Officer, pictured right

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Kate and William observe a training scenario taking place at the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service’s (NIFRS) new Learning and Development College

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William put on a dapper display in a pair of navy trousers teamed with a stylish brown blazer and light blue shirt as he arrived alongside Kate

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William and Kate supported one another as they took part in the training scenario at the college

Caoimhe, 25, and her fellow graduate Piarais McCaffery, 32, were chosen to spend time with the royal visitors after passing out as graduates in June.

‘They were both lovely, great, down to earth people. It was great to showcase our Learning and Development College to them, and they were blown away by it,’ said Piarais.

He said William and Kate were ‘very, very genuine and interested, especially with the water facility.’

Caoimhe said: ‘It was an absolute honour and privilege to be here today, as Piarais said, to represent the service today, and also it was an incredible experience being in the back of the appliance with the Prince and Princess of Wales.

‘They were very intrigued by everything, asking questions all about the facilities, but also they were very interested with my career and myself, and asking questions about how I was getting on.

‘It was a brilliant experience. I was taken aback and starstruck, but I had to keep my calm and keep relaxed and enjoy the moment.’

Piarais said: ‘The Princess had said about how ahead of the game we are, whenever we go out on live fires, we know what to do.

‘It’s a lot safer for firefighters across all services.’Trainees practice going into live and simulated fires, gaining experience of lots of different scenarios as part of their 18-week training.

‘It’s a safe environment that you’re allowed to make mistakes if you need to, and learn from your mistakes and make you feel that you’re fully ready for when you do go out,’ said Caoimhe.

‘The Princess was saying that it’s important that every firefighter that’s come through this recruitment should get the experience of seeing the real-life exercises, so that when you do go out to the station, you’re fully qualified to meet those emergency incidents.’

Piarais said the training had made the first call out to a live fire easier because it was ‘not a completely new, daunting experience.’

The royal couple appeared fascinated by the drills taking place, with William in particular asking lots of questions about the equipment. ‘There are so many toys,’ he said. ‘There’s so much kit!’

He and Kate watched as firefighters wearing breathing apparatus pulled a dummy from a smoke-filled ‘shop’ at the replica village and performed CPR on it. Inside the warehouse, they watched others climbing and securing ladders and practising lowering a stretcher secured with ropes from a replica rooftop.

They were also impressed to learn that the top of the main building at the college doubles as a replica of a ship’s deck, a train carriage nearby offers another realistic scenario, while a fake stretch of motorway behind it is used to train firefighters to rescue people from road traffic collisions.

‘Have you got any aviation?’ asked keen pilot William.

Before leaving, the couple were presented with three red ‘Bump’ caps for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Princes Louis – baseball caps with a reinforced inner layer usually worn to tackle wildfires.

NIFRS chief fire officer Aidan Jennings described the visit as ‘a proud and unforgettable day’ for the service.

Aidan said: ‘With a one team ethos in NIFRS, our personnel work together to help make Northern Ireland a safer place. It was a privilege to have our royal visitors meet many people across our Service and recognise their commitment, dedication and enthusiasm in doing so.

‘I’m honoured that the Prince and Princess witnessed first-hand how the real-life scenario-based training facilities are revolutionising how we train and develop our people enabling us to meet the evolving needs of a modern-day Fire & Rescue Service.

‘Our next generation of Firefighters currently undergoing their training at the college clearly demonstrated that today in their display of operational skills and capabilities.

‘I would like to sincerely thank the Prince and Princess for their visit, their kind words, support and recognition of the work of all our people in NIFRS dedicated to serving our community and keeping people safe.

‘I would also like to thank the Northern Ireland Office, the Executive Office and the Department of Health for their efforts and support in making this memorable visit possible.’

William and Kate are spending the day visiting organisations that showcase growth and investment in rural areas and demonstrate entrepreneurial and creative opportunities for young people.

It is the first time that the royal couple have visited Northern Ireland together since October 2022.