The Princess of Wales paid a surprise visit to Northern Ireland this morning, beginning the day in a long green winter coat before swapping into a casual Barbour jacket for the afternoon’s engagements.
The couple’s visit was kept under wraps ahead of time—likely for security reasons. It was a pleasant surprise for us royal fans!
The pair began their visit in Cookstown, County Tyrone, at the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service Learning and Development College.
The college offers opportunities for young people from across Northern Ireland to train to become the next generation of firefighters.
Opened in May 2025, the college is the largest investment ever undertaken by the NIFRS and is a training centre for all NIFRS employees.
The Prince and Princess began their visit by meeting Chief Fire & Rescue Officer, Aidan Jennings.
They spent time hearing how the college equips trainees with the skills, resilience and expertise needed to help keep everyone in Northern Ireland safe.
The pair also got to watch live demonstrations of firefighters tackling training scenarios—including a fast-flowing river rescue simulation, complete with a lifelike casualty pulled to safety.
Of course, both royals got hands-on with the training drill (would you expect anything less?)
Prince William’s turn:
The Prince and Princess spoke with young trainees taking part in the programme, as well as firefighters who have already graduated.
And the pair got to ride in a fire engine…
The visit follows Fire Safety Week, which took place from the 5th to the 11th of October.
After leaving the college, it was a change of pace for the pair (and outfit for Kate) as they headed to Mallon Farm.
Here, William and Kate met owners Helen Keys MBE and Charlie Mallon.
Charlie and Helen have been growing flax at the farm since 2017, with plenty of trial and error. After finding a winning system, they are spearheading the revival of flax growing for linen as a blueprint for sustainable farming systems.
The farmers harvest the flax by hand and process the fibre using traditional methods to create linen.
Inspired by Northern Ireland’s linen heritage and by the urgent need for diversification, Helen and Charlie aim to rebuild a short flax to linen supply chain in Northern Ireland—growing flax on local farms, restoring heritage machinery and producing traceable natural fibre products that work for people, place and planet.
The Princess got stuck in, having a go with some of the machinery:
William and Kate’s third and final stop on the trip was Long Meadow Farm in Co. Armagh, a family-run business operated by the McKeever family.
Here, the two royals sampled apple cider vinegar and fresh apple juice, both made on site.
The couple also helped to pick Bramley apples, taking the opportunity to discuss the apple trees they have at home.
Before heading home, the twosome helped make potato apple bread using a McKeever family recipe.
This marks the couple’s latest visit to Northern Ireland, following their 2022 engagement in Belfast and Carrickfergus.
Let’s dive into those outfit details now.
Kate’s Two Looks in Northern Ireland:
It was a day of contrasts for the Princess, who began the visit looking polished in a sleek, military-inspired coat as she met firefighters at a training college, before switching into a more relaxed countryside look for the afternoon’s farm visits:
Let’s work chronologically and start with the longline green coat.
Green Coat:
The structured, tailored coat features sharp seam work, a stand collar and both welt and flap pockets. It’s by Alexander McQueen.
This is the fifth time we’ve seen the Princess wear the coat in public to date. She debuted it in 2020 during a visit to Bradford (pictured below), wore it again in Galway just three months later and then during the ‘Royal Train Tour’ later in the year. In 2022, she wore the coat for the fourth time, for the Christmas Day church service at Sandringham.
The deep forest-green coat is a bespoke design, made just for Kate, so it’s unavailable to purchase, unfortunately.
Brown suede boots:
Kate paired the coat with her Gianvito Rossi brown suede boots, which added the right level of polish to the ensemble.
They feature a large block heel, a pointed toe and an exposed side zipper.
Kate’s worn them more than ten times in public since their debut in 2022.
A few years ago, Rossi’s spokesperson confirmed they made the boots for the Princess. They’re very close to the brand’s ‘Glen’ style, but with a different toe shape (only available now in ‘Texas’ brown, a lighter hue, shown below).
The resulting look? Classic ‘official-duty’ Kate. The choice of green is, of course, symbolic—a diplomatic nod to Northern Ireland. (It’s also super on trend right now—I have an article about that coming out later this week.)
Kate opted for countryside chic at the two farms, changing into a Barbour jacket and slouchy boots with a lower heel (thought to be from Penelope Chilvers). Both are far more practical and relatable options given the location.
Barbour jacket:
The wax jacket is from Barbour, it’s the Defence style—we know Kate has at least two of them in her wardrobe. We’ve spotted her wearing a version in dark olive green, and a second in a lighter brown/green hue, which is also slightly shorter in length. Today, she’s wearing the former. (Pictured below, Kate wearing the same Barbour jacket during a visit to a school in 2017).
The jacket has a ‘military-inspired’ design thanks to the front pocket styling. The waxed cotton helps to shield from the elements.
Our first sighting of Kate wearing a classic Barbour jacket took place in spring 2012, during a dog walk in the Palace gardens. (I cannot confirm if she was wearing this exact jacket or another from the Barbour Defence family.)
Today, Barbour sells an updated version of the Defence jacket on their site for £269.
Low-heeled boots:
Kate changed out of her Gianvito Rossi boots (left) into a second pair in brown suede with a more rounded toe, low heel and slouchy appearance (right).
Middleton Maven believes they’re by Penelope Chilvers—and I think she’s correct. (I have spotted a tassel on the side of Kate’s boots—a hallmark of PC’s designs).
It looks like the Princess wears the designer’s Riding Tassel boot in a darker brown shade than the one shown here (tan).
The Penelope Chilvers Riding Tassel Boots are handmade in Spain from oiled suede. They feature a Goodyear welt leather sole (making them durable and even suitable for occasional riding), a full leather lining, and the brand’s signature scalloped detailing and tassel zip pull.
The design is based on Penelope Chilvers’ original Tassel Boot, a long-time bestseller—and a style that Kate’s had in her own closet for two decades.
I will write to the brand and ask if they can confirm the ID.
They are not currently available for purchase on Chilvers’ website.
Cardigan:
Let’s move on to Kate’s cardigan now. It’s a piece we’ve not seen before. It’s from With Nothing Underneath.
Kate used the garment as an extra layer over a rollneck sweater to shield from the mid-October chill. Thank you to @MiddletonMaven for sharing this ID.
It’s WNU’s Jura Cardigan in the shade ‘Coffee’. This softly structured, slightly cropped knit is crafted from 100% ethically sourced yak wool.
Designed in London and made in Romania, the piece features a crew neck, ribbed trims and tonal buttons, giving it a clean, minimal look.
Known for its luxurious texture and durability, yak wool offers exceptional warmth without bulk, making it ideal for layering through the colder months.
The cardigan is available in all sizes at withnothingunderneath.com for £185.
As I explained the last time Kate wore an item from With Nothing Underneath (last month), the British label was founded by former Vogue stylist Pip Durell, who set out to create timeless, well-cut wardrobe staples inspired by menswear tailoring. The brand is known for its sustainable approach—for using natural, responsibly sourced fabrics—which is probably why it appeals to the Princess
Roll-neck:
Kate’s dark brown rollneck could be a Ralph Lauren piece (again, thanks to Middleton Maven for flagging this possibility).
The brand remains unconfirmed, though the fine-gauge knit and slim silhouette resemble Ralph Lauren’s cashmere rollnecks, a label the Princess often favours for layering.
Tweed skirt:
The Princess re-wore her Ralph Lauren Evilyn birdseye skirt for today’s engagements.
You’ll recall she debuted the garment during the engagement with Melania Trump last month:
Described by the brand as “an elevated wardrobe essential”, the A-line skirt is designed to hit at mid-calf length and features “trouser-inspired elements”, including belt loops and a zip fly with a buttoned waist tab.
The skirt has numerous pockets on the front and back, and is finished with genuine horn buttons, a signature for the brand. The garment has been tailored with front waist pleats and back waist darts.
The skirt is crafted from a neutral, yarn-dyed Italian tweed—a fabric custom-developed with soft wool yarns woven in a birdseye structure to create a light, jumper-like hand feel.
The £1,570 skirt is still available on the UK Ralph Lauren site in sizes 6, 8 and 10.
Woven belt:
The Princess cinched the skirt with a belt from the Scottish brand, Brora.
The brown woven leather belt features a braided texture throughout and is finished with a rounded brass (or gold-tone) buckle with a single leather loop to secure the end.
She first wore the belt in public for a visit with The Scouts in 2020 and again in 2022, during the Caribbean Royal Tour.
It’s sadly no longer available for purchase, and I do not have an RRP for the piece.
Gold shamrock earrings:
Kate completed both looks with her gold Daniella Draper ‘Mini Cupid’ hoop earrings, worn with the ‘Baby Shamrock’ charms—a fitting tribute to her Irish hosts.
The hoops are crafted from 9ct recycled gold in the UK and can be worn on their own (which Kate has done on many occasions) or with items from Draper’s charm collection.
Kate debuted the earrings in 2020, during a two-day visit to the Republic of Ireland.
The earrings are no longer available to buy—but Draper does still stock similar pieces. You can still buy the hoops and wear them with other charms, or if it’s a shamrock design you’re after, she sells shamrock studs. Shop at DaniellaDraper.com