On their day trip to Northern Ireland, Prince William and Kate Middleton are stopping by a number of nonprofits that provide services to individuals of various socioeconomic statuses.
The Prince and Princess of Wales are in Northern Ireland for the day on a visit that has caught everyone by surprise.
It’s “great to be back in Northern Ireland,” William and Kate wrote on Twitter, and they have a full schedule of engagements with cross-community organisations that offer assistance to people of all walks of life.
The first stop was at PIPS, a north Belfast organisation dedicated to reducing suicide rates. When the royal couple arrived, they were greeted by a number of people, including Lord Mayor Tina Black and Sinn Fein MP for the seat John Finucane. Elyse Quinn, 12, daughter of the charity’s executive director Renee Quinn, brought a bouquet of flowers inside and gave them to the princess.
After 14 young people died by suicide in Belfast within a short time frame in 2002, PIPS was established in 2003.
Stakeholders from all around the city felt compelled to gather together and try to solve the problem.
William and Kate, who were both dressed in light blue for the occasion, met with staff members to discuss their efforts to aid those at risk of suicide or self-harm.
They also painted pumpkins with some of the underprivileged youngsters who have been helped by the charity PIPS.
The number of people contacting out to the organisation has increased drastically since the onset of the Covid-19 outbreak. This includes a rise of over 500% amongst the young.
To round off their visit, the prince and princess helped a team of volunteer counsellors prepare Little Boxes of Hope for distribution.
The goal of the post-PIPS support packages is to help the kid continue to heal and make the parents or guardians feel more secure in their role as caregivers.
The duo competed in a lively cocktail-making race at Belfast’s Trademarket outdoor market.
Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton laughed at each other as they competed to see who could brew the strong drink first.
They talked to local businessman Will Neill, who shared his plans to promote startup companies and attract more customers to a shabby part of the city centre.
To learn more about the measures taken to make the site ethically and environmentally sustainable, including the elimination of single-use plastics and a commitment to paying staff a real living wage, they met with representatives from Kainos, a Belfast-based software company who came on board and provided the site for the market at a peppercorn rent.
The royal couple has had a hectic few days, with both members attending separate events related to causes they care deeply about just yesterday.
Kate made a surprise visit to the Royal Surrey County Hospital’s maternity ward, where she met mothers and their newborn children and held one of the babies in her arms.
Kate also connected with members of the Jasmine team, who support expecting and new mothers struggling with mental health issues.
Prince William, in his capacity as president of the FA, also paid a visit to St. George’s Park, England’s national football centre, on the occasion of the park’s tenth anniversary.
Kate’s primary emphasis as Princess of Wales will remain early years care, and her visit this week was one of several by the royal couple to highlight their continued focus on this issue.
