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The Prince and Princess of Wales kicked off their one-day visit to Northern Ireland today by visiting trainee firefighters at a new £50million training college near Cookstown in County Tyrone

The Prince and Princess of Wales were treated to a ride in a fire truck and watched trainee firefighters take part in drills as they kicked-off a day-long visit to Northern Ireland today.

William and Kate watched as emergency workers simulated rescuing a casualty from a fast-flowing river and toured a warehouse space where others practised high-rise rope and ladder rescues and tested breathing apparatus. It came as the royals visited Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service’s (NIFRS) new £50million Learning and Development College, near Cookstown in County Tyrone, which opened in May. The pair were shown around by Chief Fire & Rescue Officer Aidan Jennings, walking past a replica village into a training warehouse where the drills took place.

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The couple met two recent graduates of the 18-week training course, firefighters Piarais McCaffery and Caoimhe McNeice, to hear about their experience of training at the 50-acre site, which is set in the countryside.

World-class facilities include a flood water rescue simulator – one of only two in the world at a fire service training facility.

And after watching hose drills outside the warehouse, William and Kate boarded the fire appliance to head there and watch the simulated floodwater rescue – and also take part in the drill from the safety of the bank.

Each attempted to throw a line attached to a float to rescue a ‘casualty’, played by an instructor, but didn’t manage to reach him as he was swept past by the current.

The Princess of Wales, who wore a green Alexander McQueen coat and Gianvito Rossi boots, also joked that she wanted to drive at full speed with the ‘sirens on’ as she and the prince rode in the back of the fire engine.

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Kate “was wanting the sirens on” during the short drive across the training site, “but the driver was strictly told no,” according to newly qualified firefighter Caoimhe McNeice, who joined the royal couple for the ride. She added: “She was wanting the prince to drive, but no the driver got us there safely anyway.”

“The Princess was saying, ‘I’d love to drive at the real speed and have the sirens on,’ but they were getting to the water rescue [area], it was just a bit of banter.” Caoimhe, 25, and her fellow graduate Piarais, 32, were chosen to spend time with the royal visitors after passing out as graduates in June.

“They were both lovely, great, down to earth people. It was great to showcase our Learning and Development College to them, and they were blown away by it,” said Piarais. He said William and Kate were “very, very genuine and interested, especially with the water facility.”

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The college is the largest investment ever undertaken by the NIFRS and is a training centre for all NIFRS employees. Training with other emergency service workers and partner agencies also takes place there.

NIFRS chief fire officer Aidan Jennings described the visit as “a proud and unforgettable day” for the service. He said: “With a one team ethos in NIFRS, our personnel work together to help make Northern Ireland a safer place. It was a privilege to have our royal visitors meet many people across our Service and recognise their commitment, dedication, and enthusiasm in doing so.

“I’m honoured that the prince and princess witnessed first-hand how the real-life scenario-based training facilities are revolutionising how we train and develop our people enabling us to meet the evolving needs of a modern-day Fire & Rescue Service.

“Our next generation of firefighters, currently undergoing their training at the college clearly demonstrated that today in their display of operational skills and capabilities.

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“I would like to sincerely thank the Prince and Princess for their visit, their kind words, support and recognition of the work of all our people in NIFRS dedicated to serving our community and keeping people safe.

“I would also like to thank the Northern Ireland Office, the Executive Office and the Department of Health for their efforts and support in making this memorable visit possible.”

It was announced earlier today that William and Kate were on a surprise unannounced trip to Northern Ireland today for a series of special engagements.

Kensington Palace said “they will spend the day visiting innovative organisations that showcase growth and investment in rural areas and demonstrate entrepreneurial and creative opportunities for young people”.

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The trip marks Kate’s first visit to Northern Ireland in three years, with her last trip there in October 2022, when she joined William at a suicide prevention charity in Belfast before heading to a food market, where they made cocktails, before ending the day-long visit with a trip to Carrickfergus.

It also marks her first trip to the area since her cancer diagnosis and treatment. William on the other hand, last visited last November, when he was in Belfast for a series of engagements for his Homewards initiative, which is aiming to end homelessness.

Duchess Meghan has stepped back into the spotlight, making a series of high-profile appearances, and has been spotted catching up with a bevy of her A-list pals recently – and one expert thinks it’s a key sign of more to come

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Meghan Markle may be plotting another ‘relaunch’ as she cosies up to key fashion players and makes a string of high profile events – with more in the pipeline.

It’s been a big year for the Duchess of Sussex, having launched a series of new ventures and returning to social media with a bang. Two series of her lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan, have dropped on Netflix, and Meghan also released the first series of her second podcast offering: Confessions of a Female Founder.

Alongside this, the Duchess has launched her lifestyle brand As Ever, with many of her initial product runs quickly snapped up by her fans. Now tongues are wagging that Meghan might be planning even bigger business moves as she’s been spotted at various glitzy events over the past month, including Paris Fashion Week – her first public trip to Europe in years.

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The Duchess re-embracing both social media and the lifestyle space represented something of a return to form for Meghan, who for many years ran a successful lifestyle blog, The Tig, while she worked as an actress.

In the last few weeks she’s mingled with fashion tycoons like Anna Wintour, delivered a speech after being crowned Humanitarian of the Year alongside her husband Prince Harry, and lunched with her pal Serena Williams in the Big Apple’s Soho House.

And on Tuesday, she’s set to join the likes of Selena Gomez and Kamala Harris at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women summit in Washington DC to give a lecture on the world of entrepeneurship.

Meghan posted a reel round-up of her trip on her New York Instagram, which included pop icon Ed Sheeran, feminist trailblazer Gloria Steinem, and a look at the immaculate wardrobe she took with her.

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The video showcased several racks of designer clothes with matching high heeled shoes lined up along the floor to match her several luxury outfits. As Meghan filmed the rows of clothing, Harry made a casual cameo, standing in the doorway smiling in a pair of grey track pants.

The Duchess also reportedly enjoyed a low-key dinner with the new editor-in-chief of American Vogue, Chloe Malle, tucked away in a corner of a lavish NYC hotel.

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With these high-profile sightings and catch-ups, one PR expert told the Daily Mail that the Duchess might be looking for a way to reposition herself, with some of her ventures, like her TV show and podcast, landing mixed reviews.

“It’s Meghan 3.0. She’s on manoeuvres and looking for yet another relaunch,” the expert told the outlet.

The expert opinion comes as the new Creative Director of Balenciaga, Pierpaolo Piccioli, the debut show of which Meghan attended, revealed that the Duchess had asked if she could attend the show.

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“Meghan and I met some years ago, and we’ve been texting ever since. She reached out and said she’d love to come to the show,” the designer told The Cut, explaining there was “no strategy or big orchestration”.

Meghan’s spokesperson is reported to have described her appearance as “the culmination of many years of…friendship”.

It comes as the Duchess shared a never-before-seen snap of her daugher Lilibet in a new social media post. In order to mark International Day of the Girl, Meghan shared an adorable photo of Lili running across the grass in a pink outfit.

The former glamour model is no stranger to surgery, but fans are growing more and more concerned as she continues to enhance her looks with surgery and cosmetic procedures

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Katie Price has once again given her fans a glimpse of her stretched face, following her most recent facelift surgery in Turkey. The former glamour model has also recently showcased her dramatic weight loss, but has drawn concerns from fans about her appearance and addiction to cosmetic surgery.

Sharing a selfie on Instagram, mum-of-five Katie posted a close-up photo of her face, showing off her taut complexion and highly filled lips. She posted a link to her Snapchat account, where she can be seen sharing a number of selfies and videos showing the extent of her most recent tweakments.

But after she shared a video yesterday of her tiny frame, concern was sparked among fans who are worried for her well-being. The 47-year-old, who has admitted she has body dysmorphia, has undergone countless procedures, with her ramping up the surgery lately, after being offered free treatments in Turkey in exchange for promotion.

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After revealing her weight loss, some have questioned whether she’s used Ozempic injections or other weight loss medications to drop the weight, despite being a healthy size previously. She has denied any claims, saying she felt she’d put on weight over the last few years and changed up her lifestyle.

The Pricey, who openly admits she sees her body differently to others, addressed her drastic weight loss on Rob Moore’s Disruptors podcast. She explained: “Yes I’ve lost weight. Yes that what I’ve wanted to do, I’ve wanted to lose weight.”

Explaining why she felt she wanted to drop a dress size, she continued: “Because the past three, four years ago when I broke my feet and I was in a wheelchair for 10 months because they said I’d never walk again, and obviously you put weight on being in a wheelchair.

“And then I did all the IVF stuff, that also puts on weight. So yeah I did put on weight and I hated it, I felt uncomfortable and it wasn’t me.

“Now I’ve gone back, now the IVF that’s all come out, and I’m more active because I could do more because of my feet, and I’m horse riding again. Then naturally, I’m going back athletic again.”

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Katie has been open about her cosmetic work, regularly sharing photos and videos of the aftermath of surgery, showing the bandages and swelling from going under the knife. But it’s not just her legion of loyal fans who are becoming more and more concerned for Katie.

The star’s eldest daughter Princess, 18, who she shares with Peter Andre, has admitted she won’t be following in her mum’s footsteps. She admitted that Katie was “so pretty” before she surgically changed her appearance.

While appearing on her reality show, Katie asked Princess if she’d ever get lip filler. The teen, who is becoming a businesswoman in her own right, said: “I want to say no, like you know how much surgery you’ve had…

“Can your body actually move? Because you stretch so much skin.” Katie defiantly replied: “More surgery to come! Put it this way, when I’m 90, I’ll probably be transparent – you’ll see all my veins.”

The teen responded “It’s your body and your choice. I don’t have a problem with plastic surgery. But I think some people are so naturally pretty that they don’t actually need it. You were naturally pretty.”

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Strictly Come Dancing co-host Tess Daly has been a staple on our screens for over 20 years, but as she recently revealed, she kept a secret from her new bosses when she first started on the show

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Strictly Come Dancing’s Tess Daly has revealed she kept her first pregnancy a secret during her early days on the hit BBC show.

The beloved presenter, who first graced our screens in the very first episode of Strictly back in 2004, has been a constant fixture ever since, initially co-hosting with Sir Bruce Forsyth before Claudia Winkleman stepped into his shoes in 2014.

As the latest series kicked off, Tess shared a little-known fact about her personal life at the time of her Strictly debut over two decades ago.

In a candid chat with Giovanna Fletcher on her Happy Mum Happy Baby podcast, Tess reminisced about discovering she was expecting her first child, Phoebe, just weeks before starting on the dance show.

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She confessed that she chose not to share the news with her new employers, saying: “I was newly pregnant with Phoebe in 2004 and I didn’t tell them that I was pregnant because I thought, well, there were two reasons why I didn’t tell them.”

Explaining her first reason, she said: “One, I thought they might not give me the job.”

She then went on to reveal her second reason for keeping mum, adding: “Two, I thought, well, actually it’s really early on before you tell anyone. I’d not even told my own mother yet. It was sort of eight, nine weeks, I think it was.”

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After beginning her career as a model, she transitioned into television in the early 2000s, hosting ITV’s home-makeover show Home On Their Own.

Just a year later, she bagged a role co-hosting the newly created dance competition Strictly Come Dancing, taking a brief hiatus only after the birth of her first child in October 2004.

Off-screen, Tess and Vernon Kay’s romance began 25 years ago when they were asked to choreograph their own dance to Britney Spears’ …Baby One More Time at a BBC Christmas party.

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A few years after their initial meeting, the pair tied the knot and later welcomed their two daughters — Phoebe, born in 2004, and Amber, born five years later.

Following Tess’s recent revelations about her early days on Strictly, the show has returned for its 23rd series, with contestants vying for the coveted Glitterball trophy.