Prince, Kate flip for N. Ireland during visit
Prince William and Kate Middleton made a surprise visit to Northern Ireland, where they shook hands and flipped pancakes today. It's all part of an effort to visit all four corners of the United Kingdom before the royal wedding next month.
On "The Early Show," Royal Contributor Victoria Arbiter said the couple took everyone by surprise when they showed up in Northern Ireland.
Pictures: Prince William and Kate MiddletonSpecial Section: Britain's royal wedding
She explained, "It wasn't until they actually landed that anyone even knew they were in the country. Northern Ireland,sadly, has been plagued with sectarian violence for many years, so anytime a political figure visits the country, they keep the visit very closely guarded until they're actually there. So while members of the public may have had an indication somebody was coming to town with the police presence on rooftops and as they went through trash cans, it wasn't until the cars pulled up that they realized how significant a visit it was."
Pictures: William and Kate in Northern Ireland
"Early Show" co-anchor Erica Hill remarked the couple seemed very well received there.
"It almost looks like Kate Middleton was born for this job," Hill said.
"I think so, too," Arbiter said. "The initial visit (to Trearddur Bay, Wales), they were on familiar territory. It was safe ground for Kate. But this morning, when she rolled out for that walkabout, she was laughing and interacting with everyone, she was having a great time. And as you mentioned, they even got into flipping pancakes. So it's been a successful visit, yet again, and Kate has a great future ahead as a princess."
But why flipping pancakes?
Arbiter explained today is Shrove Tuesday, a traditional day to eat pancakes before Ash Wednesday, the start of the Lent season.
"But I think they were cheating a little bit," Arbiter said. "Those were hardcore, tough pancakes."
Hill also remarked, "I read a report -- we saw Kate signing a book there and I had read that William leaned over and said, 'You're really going to need to work on your handwriting!"'
"Is that what he said?" Arbiter asked, laughing. "I had not seen that yet. But William has a bit of a chicken scratch, too. ... So they probably both need to do a little work on their handwriting."
Aside from her handwriting, the world is also learning a bit more about the woman who will marry the prince. Hill mentioned Kate Middleton's biography is posted on the official royal wedding website with details and photos from her childhood.
So what does it all say about her?
Pictures: Kate Middleton's early years
Pictures: Kate Middleton
Arbiter said, "All those photographs show what a well-rounded, lovely childhood she led. She lived in Jordan for a little while. She's very athletic, and who knew that she's a bit of a champion high jumper? So you never know when that's going to come in handy if the paparazzi are chasing her. So it gave us a really good sense of her being outdoorsy, athletic. She mentioned sailing and photography among her hobbies. So it's really a lovely opportunity on get to know her a little bit."
Hill remarked, "And all these things are being rolled out with some thought behind them from the palace. What's the next thing we can expect as we get closer to the big day?"
Arbiter said, "We're getting more and more details, certainly, or they're coming more often, shall I say. For a while there, we were just scrambling for any information we could possibly get. The big news at the moment of course is this leak about the dress -- is it substantiated? I wouldn't have thought The Times would have dedicated three pages and their front cover if there wasn't a bit more to that story. So hopefully, over the coming days, we'll learn more about the dress."
She continued, "They were also spotted at Westminster Abbey last night. They've apparently gone to listen to some of the music that might be featured in the wedding. So slowly, but surely, we're getting a little bit more every day."