Princess Kate was denied her plea to race through Northern Ireland at full throttle with emergency sirens wailing while riding in a fire engine journey today.

The Princess of Wales's playful request came as she and Prince William embarked on an unannounced visit to the nation, touring a state-of-the-art firefighter training facility near Cookstown.

As part of the visit to the new training college, the royal couple were treated to a ride in a fire engine.

"I'd love to drive at the real speed and have the sirens on," an excited Kate remarked while travelling through the grounds.

Newly qualified firefighter Caoimhe McNeice recalled the incident, explaining the driver was under instructions deny any such request and drive slower than normal

“The princess was wanting the sirens on, but he was strictly told no,” the 25-year-old graduate revealed.

Kate also suggested William should take the wheel, though the professional driver once again had to turn her down.

“She was wanting the prince to drive, but the driver got us there anyway,” Ms McNeice said.

Princess Kate had to be told no after she requested to drive faster with the sirens on while riding in a fire engine

"He got us there safely, I think he was on a limit for his speed,” she said of the driver.

The amused graduate assured: “It was just a bit of banter."

The couple participated in flood rescue exercises at an advanced river simulation course, one of merely two such simulators in the world.

Both royals attempted to rescue an instructor portraying a victim swept along by 24-knot currents in the artificial rapids, with mixed results.

The royal couple were visiting a firefighter training facility near Cookstown during a surprise trip to Northern Ireland

"The water was moving at 24 knots, very fast, and they were both very close," instructor Pete Sloane explained, adding: "It's difficult to hit a moving target but another go and they would have had it."

Other firefighters who had accompanied the royals praised their approachable demeanour throughout the visit.

"They were both lovely, great, down-to-earth people," Another recent graduate, Piarais McCaffery, noted.

"It was great to showcase our Learning and Development College to them, and they were blown away by it,” he added.

The Prince and Princess also tried their hand at rescuing a volunteer from a simulated raging river

Chief Fire Officer Aidan Jennings characterised the occasion as "a proud and unforgettable day" for the service.

He expressed gratitude for the royal recognition of personnel dedication, stating: "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."

Tuesday’s visit to the college came as William and Kate embarked on a surprise joint visit to Northern Ireland, their first in three years.

The royal itinerary continued at Mallon Farm in County Tyrone, where the couple discovered how the former dairy operation transformed into a flax cultivation enterprise in 2020.