See Kate Middleton's Reaction to a Heckler in Northern Ireland
Kate Middleton kept it moving during a tense situation that occurred on a walkabout during the royal's visit to Northern Ireland with Prince William. The Princess of Wales greeted well-wishers outside of Carrickfergus Castle on Thursday during the trip when she was encountered by one woman who made clear the tension between England and Ireland that's existed since the 1600s is still alive.
While shaking Kate's hand, the woman appeared to tell the princess, "Nice to meet you, but it would be better if it was when you were in your own country." Kate continued smiling while moving to shake other people's hands, but the woman continued making her point, "Ireland belongs to the Irish."
When meeting members of the public on her visit to Northern Ireland, the Princess of Wales was challenged by a woman who suggested Kate was not in her own country pic.twitter.com/XtaIXFrn96
— PA Media (@PA) October 6, 2022
The late Queen Elizabeth II did formally address the rift between Ireland and England in 2011 at a state banquet in Dublin, according to The Guardian. "It is a sad and regrettable reality that through history our islands have experienced more than their fair share of heartache, turbulence and loss ... with the benefit of historical hindsight we can all see things which we wish had been done differently, or not at all," she said at the time. The Queen continued with an apology, "To all those who have suffered as a consequence of our troubled past, I extend my sincere thoughts and deep sympathy."
Prince William and Kate traveled to Northern Ireland Thursday for the first time since being named Prince and Princess of Wales following Queen Elizabeth's death at the age of 96 last month. The royals visited a number of charitable organizations on their one-day trip, beginning the day at PIPS Suicide Prevention Ireland in Belfast to learn more about the effort to provide crisis support for people at risk of suicide and self-harm.
They also visited with mentors and youths at the charity Carrick Connect in Carrickfergus, which works with teens facing emotional and social difficulties to help them develop strategies for handling the ups and downs of life. The royals made sure to have a bit of fun as well, facing off in a cocktail mixing contest at Trademarket, where they competed against one another behind the bar.