There are conversations online about why the Prince and Princess of Wales’s events are so often “surprises” or “unannounced.” There are many reasons. One, security is legitimately a factor. Two, they don’t want to give Republic any kind of notice, in case anti-monarchists stage protests or demonstrations outside the events. Three, William and Kate are barely getting any crowds these days, even for events which are announced, so “unannounced events” are their way of explaining why so few people come out for W&K.
Of course, there’s another reason, one which is only discussed on social media. William and Kate like to keep their schedules pretty open out of laziness, but they feel the need to move quickly and schedule emergency events whenever the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are scheduled to appear somewhere. They’ve known for several days that Meghan is appearing at Fortune’s summit in DC. So… William and Kate turned up in Northern Ireland today. Surprise.
Kate Middleton and Prince William are stepping out in Northern Ireland for a surprise trip. The Prince and Princess of Wales, both 43, arrived in the nation on Oct. 14 for an unannounced visit. They are there to spend the day with local people, visiting some of the innovative and growth-creating organizations in the area, seeing where investment is made in rural areas and highlighting entrepreneurial and creative opportunities for young people.
Prince William and Princess Kate’s first stop of the day was the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service’s (NIFRS) new Learning and Development College in Cookstown. The college, opened in May, is the largest investment ever undertaken by the NIFRS and is a training centre for all NIFRS employees, offering the chance for the next generation of firefighters of Northern Ireland to train. The facilities include a flood water rescue simulator (one of only two in the world at a fire service training facility), a replicated village, a training warehouse, a tactical firefighting facility and a barn and slurry pit.
William and Kate met with Chief Fire & Rescue Officer, Aidan Jennings, and learned how the college equips trainees with the necessary skills. The royal couple also took part in a few training scenarios.
In one drill, Prince William and Princess Kate were each tasked with throwing a float to a “casualty” (played by an instructor) from the side of a fast-flowing river simulator, according to The Sun. However, neither was able to reach the person with their tosses.
They’re just pitiful, my god. And could they be any more obvious? There was a viral TikTok making the rounds over the weekend where a British woman was like… it’s so obvious what they’re doing and why. Whenever Harry and Meghan are doing anything, William and Kate rush around with their dumbass photo-ops and stunts. How are these two the whole-ass future king and queen?
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- 14/10/2025. Cookstown, UK. The Prince and Princess of Wales during a visit to the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Learning and Development College in Cookstown, Northern Ireland. The Prince and Princess met with Chief Fire & Rescue Officer, Aidan Jennings and learned how the college equips trainees with the skills, resilience and expertise needed to help keep everyone in Northern Ireland safe. Their Royal Highnesses then engaged with two training scenarios: a warehouse space where there was a variety of simulated incidents and drills ongoing, and the flood-water rescue training space to see a simulation of a casualty being rescued from a fast-flowing river. During these scenarios, The Prince and Princess met some of the young, trainee firefighters, as well as those who have already graduated.,Image: 1045438284, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: © Kensington Palace. This image is free for use but may only be used for news or editorial reporting purposes. This image must NOT be used for any commercial or other use, save for news or editorial reporting and cannot be altered or amended in any manner, Model Release: no, Credit line: Pete Maclaine/Avalon
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- 14/10/2025. Cookstown, UK. The Prince and Princess of Wales during a visit to the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Learning and Development College in Cookstown, Northern Ireland. The Prince and Princess met with Chief Fire & Rescue Officer, Aidan Jennings and learned how the college equips trainees with the skills, resilience and expertise needed to help keep everyone in Northern Ireland safe. Their Royal Highnesses then engaged with two training scenarios: a warehouse space where there was a variety of simulated incidents and drills ongoing, and the flood-water rescue training space to see a simulation of a casualty being rescued from a fast-flowing river. During these scenarios, The Prince and Princess met some of the young, trainee firefighters, as well as those who have already graduated.,Image: 1045438285, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: © Kensington Palace. This image is free for use but may only be used for news or editorial reporting purposes. This image must NOT be used for any commercial or other use, save for news or editorial reporting and cannot be altered or amended in any manner, Model Release: no, Credit line: Pete Maclaine/Avalon
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- 14/10/2025. Cookstown, UK. The Prince and Princess of Wales during a visit to the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Learning and Development College in Cookstown, Northern Ireland. The Prince and Princess met with Chief Fire & Rescue Officer, Aidan Jennings and learned how the college equips trainees with the skills, resilience and expertise needed to help keep everyone in Northern Ireland safe. Their Royal Highnesses then engaged with two training scenarios: a warehouse space where there was a variety of simulated incidents and drills ongoing, and the flood-water rescue training space to see a simulation of a casualty being rescued from a fast-flowing river. During these scenarios, The Prince and Princess met some of the young, trainee firefighters, as well as those who have already graduated.,Image: 1045438287, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: © Kensington Palace. This image is free for use but may only be used for news or editorial reporting purposes. This image must NOT be used for any commercial or other use, save for news or editorial reporting and cannot be altered or amended in any manner, Model Release: no, Credit line: Pete Maclaine/Avalon
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- 14/10/2025. Cookstown, UK. The Prince and Princess of Wales during a visit to the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Learning and Development College in Cookstown, Northern Ireland. The Prince and Princess met with Chief Fire & Rescue Officer, Aidan Jennings and learned how the college equips trainees with the skills, resilience and expertise needed to help keep everyone in Northern Ireland safe. Their Royal Highnesses then engaged with two training scenarios: a warehouse space where there was a variety of simulated incidents and drills ongoing, and the flood-water rescue training space to see a simulation of a casualty being rescued from a fast-flowing river. During these scenarios, The Prince and Princess met some of the young, trainee firefighters, as well as those who have already graduated.,Image: 1045438310, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: © Kensington Palace. This image is free for use but may only be used for news or editorial reporting purposes. This image must NOT be used for any commercial or other use, save for news or editorial reporting and cannot be altered or amended in any manner, Model Release: no, Credit line: Pete Maclaine/Avalon
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- 14/10/2025. Cookstown, UK. The Prince and Princess of Wales during a visit to the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Learning and Development College in Cookstown, Northern Ireland. The Prince and Princess met with Chief Fire & Rescue Officer, Aidan Jennings and learned how the college equips trainees with the skills, resilience and expertise needed to help keep everyone in Northern Ireland safe. Their Royal Highnesses then engaged with two training scenarios: a warehouse space where there was a variety of simulated incidents and drills ongoing, and the flood-water rescue training space to see a simulation of a casualty being rescued from a fast-flowing river. During these scenarios, The Prince and Princess met some of the young, trainee firefighters, as well as those who have already graduated.,Image: 1045438311, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: © Kensington Palace. This image is free for use but may only be used for news or editorial reporting purposes. This image must NOT be used for any commercial or other use, save for news or editorial reporting and cannot be altered or amended in any manner, Model Release: no, Credit line: Pete Maclaine/Avalon
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- 14/10/2025. Cookstown, UK. The Prince and Princess of Wales during a visit to the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Learning and Development College in Cookstown, Northern Ireland. The Prince and Princess met with Chief Fire & Rescue Officer, Aidan Jennings and learned how the college equips trainees with the skills, resilience and expertise needed to help keep everyone in Northern Ireland safe. Their Royal Highnesses then engaged with two training scenarios: a warehouse space where there was a variety of simulated incidents and drills ongoing, and the flood-water rescue training space to see a simulation of a casualty being rescued from a fast-flowing river. During these scenarios, The Prince and Princess met some of the young, trainee firefighters, as well as those who have already graduated.,Image: 1045438314, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: © Kensington Palace. This image is free for use but may only be used for news or editorial reporting purposes. This image must NOT be used for any commercial or other use, save for news or editorial reporting and cannot be altered or amended in any manner, Model Release: no, Credit line: Pete Maclaine/Avalon
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- 14/10/2025. Cookstown, UK. The Prince and Princess of Wales during a visit to the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Learning and Development College in Cookstown, Northern Ireland. The Prince and Princess met with Chief Fire & Rescue Officer, Aidan Jennings and learned how the college equips trainees with the skills, resilience and expertise needed to help keep everyone in Northern Ireland safe. Their Royal Highnesses then engaged with two training scenarios: a warehouse space where there was a variety of simulated incidents and drills ongoing, and the flood-water rescue training space to see a simulation of a casualty being rescued from a fast-flowing river. During these scenarios, The Prince and Princess met some of the young, trainee firefighters, as well as those who have already graduated.,Image: 1045438328, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: © Kensington Palace. This image is free for use but may only be used for news or editorial reporting purposes. This image must NOT be used for any commercial or other use, save for news or editorial reporting and cannot be altered or amended in any manner, Model Release: no, Credit line: Pete Maclaine/Avalon
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- 14/10/2025. Cookstown, UK. The Prince and Princess of Wales during a visit to the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Learning and Development College in Cookstown, Northern Ireland. The Prince and Princess met with Chief Fire & Rescue Officer, Aidan Jennings and learned how the college equips trainees with the skills, resilience and expertise needed to help keep everyone in Northern Ireland safe. Their Royal Highnesses then engaged with two training scenarios: a warehouse space where there was a variety of simulated incidents and drills ongoing, and the flood-water rescue training space to see a simulation of a casualty being rescued from a fast-flowing river. During these scenarios, The Prince and Princess met some of the young, trainee firefighters, as well as those who have already graduated.,Image: 1045438330, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: © Kensington Palace. This image is free for use but may only be used for news or editorial reporting purposes. This image must NOT be used for any commercial or other use, save for news or editorial reporting and cannot be altered or amended in any manner, Model Release: no, Credit line: Pete Maclaine/Avalon
Of course she wore green (because Ireland) and all the wiglets accompanied her. If needed, she could throw one to the peasant who is drowning.
I would have put money on her wearing green. She’s so sadly predictable. And she has a child’s understanding of the places she visits. It’s Ireland so green must be worn.
Photo op to counteract Meg’s appearance in DC✔️. Yes they are so very obvious.
They don’t really really try to the extreme to upstage and stop the sussexes press cycle like they used to, because their thunderstealing doesnt work. They uplift nothing and it’s kind of sad and embarrassing to do something you’re consistently failing at. They know it now. They’re just doing “FLOWER-SPRINKLE-WORK” 😉 aka a little here and there, but just scarce, just to show up, not really for anything, just for a feel, a vibe.
What is realy happening at thistime, is forest lodge forever relocation/stealing public property from the people for their own selfish benefit, keeps popping up everywhere so obviously, they can’t be lazying around, interior designing full time, so they must do something! Show up unannounced and empty handed seemed like a wonderful idea!!!
William looks just as awkward as he usually does in all of his photo ops. 🤷🏽♀️
Goofy!! 🤦🏽♀️
I’m just surprised Kate didn’t try to pat Willy’s arse again. Because, you know, Harry did. AND they show PDA. But I guess it takes all the willpower they can muster just to be together for 20 minutes.
Yes. At least Waity tries to get into it instead of acting like she doesn’t want to be there.
How scary for the UK that she is the brain of the Wales operation
Well trips to Northern Ireland are never announced but you have to wonder when these engagements were organised. Was it before or after they found out that Harry and Meghan were going to NY and DC?
That’s my thought. I have a feeling a number of their events are planned somewhat last minute and it creates a lot of work for the people around them and who they are visiting. I don’t think the people mind the work per se but it’s always nicer when given notice. As you say though, N.I. is a little different but still. It’s not that hard to arrange a private plane for the Wales and a rescue team visit. It could be done under a week. I can believe there were plans to visit but the exact day might have materialized after someone else was announced to be in DC.
They put so much effort into avoiding work and pretending to work and inventing causes and foundations they can use for busywork and photo/video ops.
Honestly I don’t know why they don’t use all that effort to just do traditional royal events. Or they could throw their support/money behind people and organisations that do practical charitable things. They’d be able to see real results and take the credit without having to do the hard work.
It would be much easier than their current strategy of ducking and dodging and endlessly bullsh*tting everyone.
Right??? they put so much effort into avoiding work while trying to look busy and important when they could just do the normal royal bread and butter events and build up goodwill that way. I genuinely think it takes a lot of energy to be as lazy as they are.
If they weren’t such awful people I’d almost feel sorry for them. Imagine being the future king and queen, getting 20 million pounds a year for less than 100 hours of work each, having multiple homes, a press that largely protects you, etc – and you’re so insecure AND lazy that the only thing that gets you working is your brother and SIL getting headlines.
i dont think they expected a weekend of headlines of H&M in NYC – if they had I think one or both of them would have been papped out in London.
It’s possible this visit was planned months ago but I really doubt that. I bet this was scheduled when Meghan’s DC event was announced.
They’re getting made fun of on SM for planning their events as soon as they see Harry and Meghan are doing something. You’d think they wouldn’t want to lean into that narrative? And yet here we are. To me, it looks embarrassing, but these people are missing the shame chip. I wonder how much of it is just to make them seem like they’re working. So if Meghan gets mentioned in an article, they can also say and yes well the Wales were in Northern Ireland today. It makes them seem busy. When in reality, they’re not. It also goes back to that whole theory of the Wales resenting the Sussex schedule. They can choose how much to work and be seen….bc they pay for themselves. Whereas the Wales don’t but they want that type of life.
Wank have become the clowns in their own circus 🎪… I find their absolute stupidity hilarious they aren’t fooling anyone.
No one has noticed how thin she is and looks in that coat? *shudders* I seriously wonder how she’s got the energy to do anything at this point.
Her whole outfit. – the hair.., his awkwardness.. yikes! Not likely to draw many folk
It’s like Mr Burns from the Simpsons hanging out with Kristi Noem
Perfect! Or Kristi with Wallace from Wallace and Gromit.
Those extensions are looking janky.
She wears the wig over one of her shoulders which makes it even more messy.
Two basic b*tches trying to make themselves relevant. I always feel bad for the people forced to do these events with them. You can tell Scoot and Buttons don’t want to be there.
These two are such a joke. The thing is these really are great organizations and programs that deserve a spotlight and support, but these two want to just take photos and promote themselves. They’re knowledge and commitment is as deep as the flyer they read on these organizations. I see Kate is dressed like Elphaba from Wicked today.
Absolutely fire & rescue training deserves kudos & attention, but from these two? They showed up knowing they’d take part in some training exercises dressed like this? And how long did they stay? Not long enough for Kate to take her coat off, that’s for sure. I hope they had more than this planned for the day, because a lot of money was spent for about a half hour’s visit.
It’s really sad how Kate looks so sparkless and clueless for a woman her age. Shes so like regular sliced bread. Those wiglets do nothing for her, and her clothes – even when she tries to cosplay Meg are lifeless on her body. Kate if you’re reading this, you cannot steal another’s shine. Meg’s sparkle is something you cannot buy or fake.
As for William, there isn’t a woman or man out there who looks at him and thinks this is the guy I want. Seriously these two should just hang it up at this point.
William is so incredibly awkward. Kate’s hair and wardrobe always looks like she playing the role of a 12 year old girl from the 19th century.
A 12 year old’s hair and wardrobe, yes, but facially in some recent photos I think she looks like Zoe Wanamaker. It’s her eyes coupled with that blusher.
If desperate and pathetic has a face , it would be these two jack-azzzes
I keep making the point that after 1000 years, the Uk monarchy’s enforcement managers and henchmen do not care that their modus operandi (i:e colonizing, co-opting, copying and taking credit for other people’s ideas) have been sussed out by foreigners. And they dont care if we point out that they have no shame.
They only care that even if they cant fool all of their own home-grown hoi polloi all the same time, a sufficient number of them must remain enthralled such that theres no risk of a successful rebellion.
PS:
Watch them find some make-work for the lazy duo as counter-programming for H&M appearance tomorrow (Oct 15) at the “Night of Wonder” gala at the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County which was originally scheduled to be held in June this year and where M was expected to be honored but which was postponed due to protests and tensions in LA.
Altho tomorrow’s program apparently doesnt have M’s name on it and tehrs no confirmation that H&M will attend, watch as those fckrs on Beans-n-Toast Island pursue their attempt at oneupmanship in the belief that H&M will be there.
Is that gala tomorrow? Wow, Meghan is in Washington today, so she won’t get much rest from a cross country flight if it’s the rescheduled gala where she is being honoured.
@Kingston Strongly agree with you.
Their modus operandai is to always conquer and colonize. It is the way monarchies have always operated and evolved. Is there any ingenuity from their ancestors. They are plunderers and colonizers. They co-opt from others and put their names on it. English tea is from India. Imagine QEII coronation chicken dish was essentially Indian curry chicken. They didn’t go for an English seasoned chicken or pheasant or deer dish. 😆 They are generally not very rich in their own culture or ideas. England before colonization was a very dilapidated place. Africans, Asians, Americans were far more advanced civilizations before they were conquered and plundered. Their museums are filled with artifacts from plundered lands (Africa, Asia, Americas, Europe). Their own (English) artifacts are comparatively ‘inferior’ to those from each century. Despite what they promote in the history books they’ve written, their mediocrity is visible whenever right thinking observers evaluate the facts or see them in action. The stenographers are employed to print fiction for the masses to consume. They will however remain mediocre and colonize others in order to perpetuate the fiction of being the best at everything. 🤷🏽♀️
Well, they did produce Shakespeare. He apparently was inspired by many European works, though, but nobody creates in a vacuum. Nevertheless, his plays are still a great contribution to humanity.
@Tasmin
Each culture has its own poets and storytellers. Shakespeare is world renowned because his work was imposed upon conquered territories as part of an English language and literature curriculum and simultaneously many of the colonized civilizations were stripped of their culture and history in order to subjugate the people under an English monarchy.
There are stories and poetry as rich as or richer from Asia, Africa and Americas that have been suppressed or destroyed by colonizers.
Well they did build an empire spanning the world and some good did come out of it ..including the language that connects all these countries , railways , law and order . Right now I am aghast that the future heir and his chavvy spouse have zero interest in their heritage..are they aware of their history , literature , art music and architecture. Does that idiot who skips around bleating about Naychur know one thing about plants , or have any interest in rural and environmental preservation. There is not one cause or interest that they are passionate about . What good did their dumb art degrees do . So much is possible…I dont suggest that the wiglet woman should paint but how about being a patron to deserving artists and galleries . At least Charles , much as I dont like him , comes across as someone with an education and a love of the countryside . Meghan, if he only supported her, shares all his interests..gardens, cookery , bee keeping, wine ,art ,dogs , organic farming, alternative healing ..he should be kicking himself that he is stuck with that marionette daughter in law and rage monster son who deserve to be disinherited . .the way they are looming like vultures to grab the spoils the instant he dies would have sent them to the Tower or worse in other times
@Iolanthe
Many may say, and I would be inclined to agree, that imposing the English language unto colonized people is only considered ’good’ from the perspective of the colonizers who have written history to convey such a perspective. The history from the perspective of the colonized ancestors is not widely taught unlike the history from the perspective of the colonizers which has been included as part of standard school curriculums for centuries. One has to make a concerted effort to seek out and study the history from the perspective of the colonized. If you visit certain places like Egypt and Ethiopia for example in search of such history you will be enlightened when you find out about civilizations that existed before the Europeans plundered and colonized other lands.
Sidenote: Can someone explain to me why the Prince of Wales, noted multimillionaire and future King of England, whose job it is to be photographed out doing stuff with dignitaries and subjects, is ALWAYS dressed like shite in clothes that do not fit??
Those pants, the way they’re not tapered or straight-leg but some awful wrinkled combo, the way his jacket hangs on him and his shoes always look scuffed and sad—I’m sure he doesn’t care about clothes but dude, it’s YOUR JOB. Charles is a pain but man in his prime he was one of the best-dressed men in the world. I’m not even saying he has to go full aristo and have his shoelaces ironed, but his tailoring is and has always been a minor disgrace. He’s 6 foot 4 and slim, there’s literally no reason he should be looking like he’s wearing Gap Outlet. It’s more than unflattering, it looks unkempt to be wearing such ill-fitting clothing and is low key disrespectful to his patronages IMHO
They are so plain looking, boring and uncharismatic. Nothing wrong with that if you’re a regular person that’s it not getting paid millions to cut ribbons and take pictures once in a blue moon. They could very well be working with all types of coaches to improve public speaking, engagement and wardrobe. The least they could do is to act as if they care.
Her feet look so turned out in that one picture….comically so.
Ballet first position ..cos playing Diana of course and looking like an utter ass. She wouldn’t know the first thing about ballet or opera which is Charles great love , but is trying to grab onto their coat tails . Culture, naycha .