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Princess Of Wales Praised For Her ‘Calm’ After She Was Heckled On Visit To Northern Ireland
The awkward exchange occurred as the heckler shook the Princess of Wales’ hand.
The Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, has been praised for how she responded to a heckler during a visit to Northern Ireland with her husband, Prince William. Hundreds of people had lined the Marine Highway in Carrickfergus, a town to the north of Belfast, as the couple visited the County Antrim town.
Kate and William exchanged handshakes and fist-bumps with locals, including schoolchildren who had waited hours to catch a glimpse of the royal couple.
While shaking hands with the princess, an Irish nationalist didn’t hesitate to utter: “Nice to meet you but it would be better if it were when you were in your own country.”
The heckler, seen in an emerald green cardigan, added: “Ireland belongs to the Irish.” Kate reacted with surprise but managed to keep her composure, laughed, and let go of the woman’s hand before smiling and greeting other crowd members. Earlier, the Princess of Wales and her husband had visited a local charity and were welcomed by the Mid and East Antrim mayor, Noel Williams.
In 2011, the late Queen gave William and Kate the titles Baron and Baroness Carrickfergus on the morning of their wedding.
The couple is currently fulfilling several engagements with cross-community organizations that provide support to people from all backgrounds. They started with a visit to suicide prevention charity PIPS in North Belfast, and Lord Mayor Tina Black and Sinn Fein MP for the constituency John Finucane were among those who welcomed the royal couple on arrival. The PIPS was founded in 2002 after losing 14 young people to suicide in Belfast.
The charity arranged for the royal couple to participate in an art therapy session, painting pumpkins with some children who PIPs have since supported.
Observers have applauded Kate for handling the moment she was heckled perfectly. Taking to Twitter, one wrote: “That’s very disrespectful lady should have stayed at home instead of wasting her time waiting for someone she doesn’t like. Catherine handled the moment perfectly, though.” Another said: “She and William were welcomed with open arms by everyone else. There’s a lot of love of them!”
However, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, PIPS has seen a significant rise in those reaching out for help.
This includes an increase of more than 500% among young people. At the close of their visit, Kate and William reportedly joined a group of volunteer counselors in packing up the Charity’s Little Boxes of Hope. The packages are given to children following their times with PIPs to assist their ongoing recovery and to ensure their parents or guardians feel better equipped to cope.
After the PIPS visit, the couple journeyed into Belfast city center to view Trademarket, where they took part in a spirited cocktail-making race.
