Prince William takes Facetime call as visits Belfast community centre with Kate
William and Kate are undertaking a one-day visit to Northern Ireland
The Prince and Princess of Wales have begun a one-day visit to Northern Ireland, starting with a tour of a new community facility in south Belfast.
William and Kate spent time at The Commons, a project which has transformed a church building on the Ormeau Road into a focal point for the area.
They were received by deputy first minister Emma Little-Pengelly, Belfast mayor Róis-Máire Donnelly and South Belfast MP Claire Hanna, who is also SDLP leader.
Shaking hands in rainy conditions, Ms Little-Pengelly lightheartedly remarked to Prince William that the weather "wasn’t playing ball".
They met directors David and Jill Hines before taking a guided tour of the converted church premises.
A selection of local craft groups were operating inside, including Flourish and Sew-cial Circle.
The prince and princess met with the chairs of the New Employment Opportunities Network (Neon), an initiative launched by the Royal Foundation under William’s Homewards programme, which aims to make homelessness rare, brief and unrepeated.
Steven, a care leaver from Belfast, spoke with William about what support can be put in place to help those in care get into work.
As the couple left, they were greeted by hundreds who had waited in the rain outside.
William and Kate shook hands and took selfies with the crowd, with William making a FaceTime call to the mother of one of those waiting.
Homewards is a five-year programme launched by Prince Williams which aims to demonstrate that homelessness can be ended - making it rare, brief and unrepeated.
A spokesperson for the project said that over the next five years, Homewards will give these six regions new space, tools, and relationships to showcase what can be achieved through a collective effort focused on preventing and ending homelessness in their areas.
