Palace makes huge announcement on surprise Prince William and Kate Middleton trip

The Prince and Princess of Wales have arrived for a surprise trip to Northern Ireland today where they will spend the rest of the afternoon carrying out a series of special visits

The Prince and Princess of Wales are on a surprise unannounced trip today for a series of special engagements, it has been revealed.

Both William and Kate have travelled to Northern Ireland, where they will spend the rest of the day undertaking several visits. Kensington Palace says “they will spend the day visiting innovative organisations that showcase growth and investment in rural areas and demonstrate entrepreneurial and creative opportunities for young people”. The trip marks Kate’s first visit to Northern Ireland in three years, with her last trip there in October 2022, when she joined William at a suicide prevention charity in Belfast before heading to a food market, where they made cocktails, before ending the day-long visit with a trip to Carrickfergus.

It also marks her first trip to the area since her cancer diagnosis and treatment. William on the other hand, last visited last November, when he was in Belfast for a series of engagements for his Homewards initiative, which is aiming to end homelessness.

Their last major joint public event was a visit to Southport to show their ongoing support for the community following the fatal knife attack in July 2024.

William and Kate’s joint trip to Northern Ireland today comes days after the couple made a series of solo appearances to champion causes close to their hearts at the end of last week.

Last Thursday, Kate visited Home-Start Oxford to learn about the organisation’s work supporting parents juggling work, finances and creating a loving home for their children.

She crouched down to help the youngsters making imaginary cakes with plasticine and flour – and when one of the children injected Kate with a toy syringe, the princess was left with flour on the jacket of her olive green Victoria Beckham trouser suit.

Earlier that day, Kate published an essay highlighting the importance of creating a firm foundation for the lives of children by helping them develop “strong social and emotional skills”.

She also warned about the “epidemic of disconnection” created by smart phones and other gadgets, and urged society to “invest in the relationships you have with each other” in the piece written in collaboration with Professor Robert Waldinger, director of The Harvard Study of Adult Development.

Meanwhile, last Thursday, William made a rare joint appearance with his father King Charles at the Natural History Museum for a reception ahead of the COP30 climate change summit next month..

It has been confirmed William will attend the conference in Belem, Brazil during a trip to the country for his Earthshot Prize, which is being held days before in Rio de Janeiro.

Then on Friday, he was seen fighting back the tears as he discussed the devastating impact of suicide and the need for better support for those at risk.

William was filmed in a moving conversation with campaigner Rhian Mannings, whose one-year-old son George died after suffering a seizure in 2012 and whose husband Paul died by suicide five days later.

The footage marked the launch of a new National Suicide Prevention Network, spearheaded by the Prince and Princess of Wales’s Royal Foundation, on World Mental Health Day.