Princess Kate made a hilarious demand during a day visit to Northern Ireland today. The Prince and Princess of Wales, both 43, were pictured riding in a fire engine as they toured the new first-class training facilities for firefighters.
The couple watched on as emergency workers simulated rescuing a casualty from a fast-flowing river and toured a warehouse space where other teams practised high-rise rope and ladder rescues and tested breathing apparatus. As the couple were in the vehicle, Kate reportedly asked whether they could drive at “real speed” with the “sirens on”.
Newly qualified firefighter Caoimhe McNeice, who joined them for the ride, discussed Kate’s hilarious demand.
She said: “The Princess was saying, ‘I’d love to drive at the real speed and have the sirens on,’ but they were getting to the water rescue [area], it was just a bit of banter.”
Explaing further, she added: “She was wanting [William] to drive, but no, the driver got us there safely anyway.”
During their tour of the new state-of-the-art facilities, Kate and William met two recent graduates of the 18-week training course – firefighters Piarais McCaffery and Caoimhe McNeice – to hear about their experience of training at the 50-acre site, which is set in the countryside.
Kate and William both appeared fascinated by the drills taking place, with William in particular asking lots of questions about the equipment. He said: “There are so many toys. There’s so much kit!”
Not forgetting the royal children, the couple were presented with three red “Bump” caps for Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7.
They are baseball caps with a reinforced inner layer usually worn to tackle wildfires.
Following the couple’s departure, NIFRS chief fire officer Aidan Jennings described the visit as “a proud and unforgettable day” for the service.