'I'm feeling a little broody,' Duchess of Cambridge tells well-wisher as she visits Northern Ireland with Wills

1/18
Robert Jobson|Ella Wills28 February 2019

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were greeted by hundreds of cheering well-wishers as they arrived for the second day of their Northern Ireland visit with Kate telling fans: "I'm feeling a little broody."

Several hundred people lined the streets of Ballymena as William and Kate went on a walkabout.

Kate admitted feeling a “little broody” when she met a cute 5-month old baby on the walkabout of the Co Antrim town.

She was smitten by James Barr and told his dad Alan, “He’s gorgeous. It makes me feel broody.”

Kate met with well-wishers in the Northern Ireland town
PA

Alan asked, “Baby number four?” The Duchess laughed and said, “I think William would be little worried.”

The crowds, many waving flags, braved the cold outside the Braid Centre.

William waves to local well-wishers on the walk-about
Getty Images

The couple were there to learn more about the work of Cinemagic - a charity that uses film, TV and digital technologies to inspire and educate young people.

It was the first public engagement on the second and final day of the couple's visit to Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile a schoolgirl writing a project about the duchess got the chance of a lifetime when she secured an impromptu interview with Kate during the walkabout.

The couple were in Ballymena to learn more about the work of Cinemagic
AFP/Getty Images

Hannah Ritchie, nine, is studying biography in literacy classes at Ballykeel primary school.

As soon as she learned about the project, Kate asked which girl it was, and then knelt down to ask if she wanted to ask her any questions.

Kate paired a stunning blue coat with navy court shoes
PA

Hannah said: “I asked if she liked being a princess, and is the palace big?

“She said she liked being a princess because she can travel around the world and meet all the lovely children. She gets to talk to them - she loves meeting and talking to the children.”

The duchess told her: “I love working with young people. Everyone is so brave and strong in some of the places we go.

The duchess accepts bouquets from well-wishers
Getty Images

“It's very nice to meet you. Good luck with the biography!”

Ms McKeegan told the duchess: “She is going to have a quote direct from you for the biography!”

She added: “Hannah was excited, and really hoping she would get a chance to speak to her.

“She (Kate) was lovely and genuine.”

The couple were meeting with organisations working with young people on Thursday
PA

The couple were meeting with organisations that are working to create a bright future for the next generation.

They began the day by meeting privately with officers and staff from the Police Service in Northern Ireland to hear about the unique challenges they face.

At the Braid Arts Centre they visited the charity Cinemagic, who have used film, television and digital technologies to engage with over 500,000 young people.

The charity uses visual arts to increase opportunities and develop skills for young people from all backgrounds.

The Duke and Duchess took part in some of Cinemagic’s workshops to see the full range of training they provide.

Later today they will be at Sure Start, a programme that supports parents with children aged under four years old living in disadvantaged areas in Northern Ireland.

They will see some of the different programmes that Sure Start provides to understand how the organisation supports parents and provides best practice for early years work.

The visit to Ballymena comes after a range of high-energy engagements on Wednesday.

William and Kate played football at Belfast's Windsor Park and took part in a canoe race in Co Fermanagh, before rounding the day off by pulling pints at a reception for young leaders at Belfast's famous Empire music hall.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in