Kate Middleton And Prince William Lace Up And Hit The Field For Soccer Practice

While visiting Northern Ireland, Kate Middleton ditched her dress and changed into athletic clothes to participate in a soccer practice for young girls with her husband Prince William, reports People.

Middleton and William decided to spend time with their three children while the kids’ schools were closed during half-term break. The family made a trip to Northern Ireland for a two-day tour.

Wednesday morning the royal duo visited Windsor Park Stadium in Belfast. There they were given a special tour of the museum by soccer goalie legend Pat Jennings.

During the tour, Middleton wore her iconic red dress, and William was in a suit and button up. But upon finishing the tour, Middleton changed into a sweater with a blue jacket, leggings, and tennis shoes while William traded out his dress shoes for tennis shoes.

Middleton participated in a soccer practice for young girls that were part of the Rising Stars program, which is associated with the Irish Football Association.

The Rising Stars program was designed to encourage young girls to get involved in soccer by sponsoring practices to teach them the basics and get them on track to join teams.

The Ahead of the Game organization was also there; they primarily assist other organizations and individuals who work with mental health issues.

Mental health has been a personal cause for the royal couple. According to an article by People, William, Middleton, and Prince Harry joined forces to start the Heads Together Initiative to raise awareness and combat mental health.

Part of William’s motivation to raise awareness of mental health came from his own experiences as an air ambulance pilot. The things he saw in his line of work have left scars that threatened to destroy his own mental health. It was only through recognizing what he was going through and being more open for help with his issues that he got through it.

“I know that if I hadn’t taken the action that I did then, I would have definitely gone down a slippery slope and I would have been dealing with mental illness on a different level,” he said about his difficulties.

Given his passion for helping people overcome their mental health issues, it’s wonderful to see him and his wife participating in a program that seeks to help mental health through exercise and participating in healthy activities with other people.

After practicing with the girls, Middleton and William kicked the ball around a little and seemed to have a lot of fun, smiling and laughing as a couple.