Kate Middleton wears emerald green dress in homage to Ireland while drinking a pint of Guinness

'It is not often that I find myself following the Queen to a pub', William joked

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge celebrated the end of their first day in Ireland with a pint of Guinness.

The royal couple spent the evening at Dublin’s iconic Guinness Storehouse where they were greeted by their host for the evening, the British Ambassador Robin Barnett.

Kate, who was earlier spotted wearing a patterned Alessandra Rich dress, made a quick wardrobe change, as she slipped into a shimmering green gown by The Vampire's Wife for the event.

The dress, called The Falconetti, is made from iridescent emerald silk metallic chiffon which falls to an elegant three quarter length and is finished with softly gathered self ruffles at the hem.

The Cambridges mingled with guests including actors Liam Cunningham and Robert Sheenan, before chatting to members of the coast guard, ambulance, and fire and rescue services, as well as Ireland’s police commissioner Drew Harris.

They also met with a number of personalities from Irish sport, culture, design, social enterprise, environment, charity and uniformed services.

Guinness master brewer Padraig McLaughlin poured Kate and William a pint of the world-famous stout, which was then served by Irish international rugby player Sene Naoupu.

The couple enjoyed a few sips before William carried his glass to the stage where he toasted his hosts in Gaelic.

In his speech, William made light of the fact that the couple were following in the footsteps of the Queen who visited Ireland’s top attraction nine years ago.

The Duchess of Cambridge celebrated a successful first day in Ireland with a pint of Guinness (Getty)

The Queen’s visit marked the first by a British monarch since Ireland gained independence from Britain.

“In coming to the Guinness Storehouse, we are retracing the footsteps of my grandmother, who was shown how to pour the perfect pint here in 2011,” William said, with his pint of stout in hand.

The royal couple met a number of personalities from Irish sport, culture and design (Getty)

“Ladies and Gentlemen let me tell you it is not often that I find myself following the Queen to a pub. But I am looking forward to testing for myself the theory that Guinness tastes even better in Ireland than overseas.”

The royal continued by thanking everyone for attending the event and highlighting the special relationship between the two countries

The Duke of Cambridge joked that he is looking forward enjoying another pint of Guinness when he returns home (Getty)

“We value it as we do your friendship and are committed to strengthening it further,” William said.

“We are very much looking forward to our next two days in Ireland, where I have no doubt we will continue to be impressed by the creativity, warmth and hospitality the Irish people have to offer.

“And now with Sene having poured me this perfect pint, I think it only right that I draw to a close. Slainte."

The Guinness Storehouse tells the story of the famous Irish tipple, from the brewing process to the brand’s history in Dublin, and is Ireland’s top international visitor attraction, welcoming 1.7million people in 2019.

Almost a quarter of visitors to the Irish capital cite the Home of Guinness as their main reason for visiting the city.

The couple’s visit to the Storehouse marked the end of the first day of the Cambridges' three-day visit to the Emerald Isle.

Upon their arrival, the royals were greeted by a small group of dignitaries before visiting Aras an Uachtarain, the official residence of the president of Ireland where they met with the President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina Coyne.

The couple also paid their respects to Ireland’s fallen heroes at the Garden of Remembrance and met Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.