PRINCE Harry and fiancee Meghan Markle made a surprise trip to Northern Ireland yesterday which included their own message of peace in a nod to the north's troubled past.
The royal couple received a rapturous welcome from thousands of young people as they visited the Eikon Exhibition Centre outside Lisburn at the former Maze prison site.
They were shown the work of Amazing the Space, a cross-community peace initiative, and chatted with students involved in the program.
Praising their work, Harry told them: "The previous generations have caused such problems, but with your help it can never happen again.
"You're trying to educate the older generation which is just amazing. Well done. Clean the slates guys, you got this!"
Meghan laughed at Harry's passionate outburst and joked: "No pressure..."
Harry added: "Over the years religion has divided us but we're all the same underneath.
"The most important thing is that the door is open and you just keep pushing at it. Ten, 15, years ago you would have been up against the tide, but you're going with it now. Keep it up!"
Afterwards, young people who met the royal couple remarked on how relaxed they had been.
In a whistle-stop tour, the couple also sat down to a traditional Irish pub lunch at the Crown bar in Belfast – a major tourist attraction in the city.
Ms Markle revealed they had been anticipating their trip to the well-known Victorian gin palace, which is owned by the National Trust and famed for its ornate decorations.
Harry joked with Heather McLachlan, the National Trust's director for Northern Ireland, asking "Are you open?", before declaring "We want food".
His fiancee added: "We saw the menu last week, and said, 'We'll have this'."
Andrew Dickinson, pub manager, later confirmed Ms Markle had Irish stew made with lamb shoulder, carrots, onions and potatoes, while Harry picked sausage and champ.
"They're two of our most popular dishes and on a hectic day it would have kept them going," Mr Dickinson said.
He said they were poured half a Guinness and half a Mourne Gold Pale Ale to sample, but also had soft drinks with their lunch.
Crowds gathered in Belfast gave a warm welcome to the royal couple, who are to marry in May.
Ms Markle looked stylish in a cream coat by Mackage, a dark green dress by Greta Constantine, a cream top by Victoria Beckham, tobacco heels by Jimmy Choo teamed with a tan-coloured Charlotte Elizabeth bag.
The couple also visited the Catalyst Inc facility, a hub for young entrepreneurs in part of Belfast's regenerated docklands, and Titanic Belfast.
They were met with a gory sight of dismembered feet, fingers and hands when they were introduced to the entrepreneurs behind a company that makes prosthetics for the movie industry.
The props are used in the hit fantasy drama series Game Of Thrones, which is mostly filmed in Northern Ireland.
Harry and Ms Markle also met a husband and wife team who make innovative baby products, such as hypoallergenic Moses baskets and non-slip baths.
In a light-hearted moment, Ms Markle pointed to the product range and said: "I'm sure at some point we'll need the whole (lot)."