William and Kate make surprise Northern Ireland visit

The Prince and Princess of Wales arrived in Northern Ireland on Tuesday for an unannounced visit to celebrate opportunities in rural areas and the potential of young entrepreneurs.

William and Kate are making their first visit to Ulster since they visited Belfast three years ago and took part in a cocktail making race at a market and travelled to Carrickfergus.

Kensington Palace said the couple would "spend the day visiting innovative organisations that showcase growth and investment in rural areas and demonstrate entrepreneurial and creative opportunities for young people."

William and Kate visited Mallon Farm, which was previously a dairy farm, and were told about sustainable methods being used to grow flax to make linen.

Helen Keys MBE and Charlie Mallon of Mallon Farm showed them flax fields and a machine from the 1940s being used to process flax to make linen.

Kate tried an old mechanical technique of breaking bunches of flax to soften it, before being shown a large restored 1940s machine, which she said was "like a hairbrush".

Ms Keys said their visit was important as it "shines a light" on their aims to develop a sustainable linen industry in Northern Ireland.