The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have said they would one day love to return to Ireland to go cycling with their children.
The Royal couple visited a local schools and businesses in Co Meath as part of their three-day visit to the country.
They spent some time at Kiltale National School and spoke with the children and teachers about healthy lifestyles.
The children are in the middle of a project on healthy eating, and William and Kate were happy to hear what the children had learnt, and how they were implementing it into their own lives.
One pupil who spoke with the royals said: “It was so exciting to meet a real-life princess.
“They were very nice and lovely to us. They asked us all about our project on healthy eating and exercise, as we learned that Irish young people don’t get enough exercise and that one in four are overweight.”
Another pupil added: “William told us that it is important to go outside more and to get lots of sleep.
“I told them Irish people are very proud of their cattle and farms because the grass is so green, and they stay outside and not in sheds.”
Kiltale National School Principal Eileen O’Reilly was thrilled to have the esteemed guests visit her school and mix with the children. She said: “They said they would like to come back here with the kids and do a cycling tour and see the Irish countryside.”
Local farmer William Byrne gave the couple a tour of his farm and William was keen to know what the future held for the agriculture industry in Ireland.
“Is the future bright for farming, do young people want to get involved?” William asked.
“Do the wider public know exactly how much you guys do as custodians of the land?” he added.
William and Kate also visited a class in Co Kildare that helps to teach children life skills.
The couple were tasked with going to the shop to buy ingredients for the children to cook a healthy meal for 16 people.
William joked: “We’re going to shop for you. We’ll be back in a minute. We’ll bring back all the wrong ingredients.”
They returned with a bag of supplies that included brown bread, butter and leeks, before assisting the children with the cooking.
The Duke and Duchess next visited Savannah House, a respite centre run by the charity Extern that helps thousands of children a year suffering with issues such as homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse, offending and mental health problems.
Once again, lifestyle was the hot topic, as the couple enjoyed a game of table tennis and Kate joked: “We try to do this at home but our dog keeps catching the ping pong balls.”
William spoke to the children and talked about healthy eating and asked if they had eaten any pancakes last week on Shrove Tuesday.
He added: “I tried to get my children to eat pancakes but they weren’t so interested this year. Maybe next year.”
Finally Will and Kate took a romantic stroll up the hill of Howth Cliff, to enjoy the beautiful scenery.
They were met at the top by Ireland’s environment minister Richard Bruton. He said: “They remarked on how you couldn’t come to Ireland and not see the coastline so they got their wish.
“And they saw it in a benign light, normally there is a wind howling – it’s really beautiful today, they couldn’t be luckier.”
Duke and Duchess share jokes and stories at the Guinness Storehouse
Here is a BBC video of the royal couple chatting with some of the locals as they enjoy the countryside.
