Prince William and Princess Kate made a surprise visit to Northern Ireland last week and one royal expert has given some insight into the competitive nature of the duo
11:37, 19 Oct 2025Updated 13:10, 19 Oct 2025
Prince William and Princess Kate recently travelled to Northern Ireland(Image: Getty)
A royal expert who observed Prince William and Princess Kate on their recent visit to Northern Ireland spoke about how competitive the couple were during activities.
Earlier this month William and Kate made a royal visit to Northern Ireland, Kate’s first since October 2022.
The Prince and Princess of Wales made the unannounced trip on Tuesday morning with Kensington Palace stating they would be spending the day “visiting innovative organisations that showcase growth and investment in rural areas and demonstrate entrepreneurial and creative opportunities for young people”.
One of their engagements included the production of apple and potato bread, a process in which both William and Kate got very hands on with, including harvesting apples and then making the bread themselves.
Speaking on the Daily Mail’s Palace Confidential podcast, Rebecca English said the duo showed their competitive nature during the bread making phase.
Prince William and Princess Kate(Image: Getty)
She said: “When they were making this apple and potato bread, at one point they were having to peel the apples they’d already harvested on this farm William [was] telling Catherine ‘Keep up’. In any other situation it could have sparked a bit of domestic and she was just like ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah’, she’s very game.”
Their apple based visit also included a discussion about cider at Long Meadow Cider run by the McKeever family, including Catherine and her son Peter.
Speaking about the visit, Peter gave an insight into his experience with William and Kate and what he discussed with the future monarch.
He said: “The juice was freshly pressed, with no added water or sugar. They got it in its raw, pure state, and they absolutely loved it. William didn’t say what he liked as a favourite, but he said he likes a dry cider.”
There has been increasing focus on William in recent days not just because of his visit to Northern Ireland, but because of his links to his uncle Prince Andrew who gave up his Duke of York title after consultation with his nephew and King Charles.
Prince William(Image: Getty)
Following this move there is renewed speculation over what William will do with the disgraced Andrew after he becomes King. Writing in the Times, royal expert Roya Nikkhah suggested William could be ruthless towards his uncle, going so far as to ban him from all public events.
She wrote: “The next monarch will be more ruthless. Buckingham Palace says the Prince of Wales was ‘consulted’ on the decision, but it is understood that he is not satisfied with the outcome and knows the “Andrew problem” will be in his in-tray at some point.
“When William is King, Andrew will be banned from all elements of royal life. He will excluded from public and private royal events, including the coronation, and banned from most state occasions.”