Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Kate Middletonis making some furry (and slippery) new friends.
During her surprise trip to Northern Ireland on Wednesday, the Duchess of Cambridge kept her royal composure when she met a corn snake onthe Ark Open Farmin Newtownards, despite admitting she wasn’t keen on meeting the reptile, according to theBelfast Telegraph.
In a video, Princess Kate looked excited to hold the snake, as she wore a big smile and bonded with a mother and her daughter who sat beside her.
“This is amazing. Want to touch it?” she asked the little girl next to her. “Wow.”
Then, another young girl can be seen approaching the royal and petting the snake calmly in front of her, which impressed Kate. “Look at you! Do you want to hold her, too?”
“This is the first time I ever held a snake like this, how cool is that?” she added.
The farm is set on 40 acres of countryside and is home to a variety of animals, including alpacas and lambs, some of which the royal mom of three also had the opportunity to meet. Kate fed a lamb, pet an adorable brown alpaca, met a guinea pig and pet a tortoise alongside groups of children and families that visited the farm that day.
PA Wire/PA Images
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
At the farm, Kate, 38, also had the chance to speak with local parents and grandparents about their experiences of raising young children as part of her new mission in support of early childhood development. The royal wanted to use the visit to spread the news of her key research on childhood development and care. Laid out as a simple survey, it is called “5 Big Questions on the Under Fives,” and was launched earlier this month.
“It’s our 30th anniversary. We’re all very excited. It was quite a job keeping her visit secret. We had only 10 days notice,” owner Stewart Donaldson told theBelfast Telegraph.
LIAM MCBURNEY/POOL/AFP via Getty
Parent Claire Savage who was with her daughter, Alexa, added, “I think the parents are more excited than the kids. I’ve always wanted to meet Kate and say hello. I don’t think the kids know what’s going on.”
The Ark Open Farm opened in 1990 and after initially specializing in rare breeds of farm animals, the farm has now developed a number of play areas and activities for children. Open farms such as this “are important in providing places in the community for family members of all generations to spend quality time together, while allowing children to benefit from spending time outdoors,” her office says. Encouraging kids to play outside and enjoy the outdoors is a key area of interest for Kate and goes in tandem with her work with nurturing wellbeing for children.
Kate Middleton.
Can’t get enough ofPEOPLE‘s Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates onKate Middleton,Meghan Markleand more!
The visit to the farm is the latest leg in her mission to get to the four corners of the U.K. Her initiative began in Birmingham and has taken her to Cardiff, London and Woking, Surrey.
Her trip to Northern Ireland comes at a busy time for Kate, 38, and husband William, 37. They have just announced that they will visit Ireland for three days in March and are likely to be factoring in atour to Australia’s fire-ravaged areastoo.
source: people.com
