King Charles and Queen Camilla have made a historic visit to Northern Ireland – the first from a British King in 77 years.
Their Majesties landed at Belfast airport a couple of minutes before 12pm local time, and were welcomed by local dignitaries, including His Majesty’s Secretary f State for Northern Ireland and the Lieutenant General.
The greeting party included two school children – a girl who presented a flower bouquet to Queen Camilla and a boy who gave the Royal Couple a box of chocolates.
Their Majesties then made the half-hour journey to Hillsborough Village on the outskirts of Belfast, where the Royal residence is located. Upon arrival, the crowds erupted in cheerful chants of ;God save the King’ which prompted Their Majesties to undertake an unscheduled walkabout, which lasted about 10 minutes.
Before entering Hillsborough Castle, the Royals briefly stopped to take a look at the many floral tributes that have been piling up in front of the gate. Once inside, the half-mast union jack was replaced by the Royal Standard flown at full mast, while a 21-round gun salute was offered to the new Monarch.
Once inside, the King held a closed door meeting with the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Parliament, Alex Maskey, a leading figure within Sinn Féin – Northern Ireland’s nationalist party. His Majesty also met with First Minister designate, Michelle O’Neill.
After the audiences, the King and Queen reemerged in public to receive the message of condolences from Speaker Maskey, who acknowledge Her late Majesty’s role in the long process towards reconciliation and the need to keep working on that path. His Majesty thanked the people of Northern Ireland for their condolences, and spoke about his mother’s fondness for the country, and her “constant prayers for the best times for this place”. The King also added a personal note, by mentioning the joy his mother took from Hillsborough Castle’s rose garden.
The King and Queen then had a short, informal chat with authorities present. Queen Camilla was seen speaking, among others, to the Vice President of Sinn Féin, and the leader of the Alliance Party. The couple was then bid farewell from the Castle, and headed to Belfast’s St Anne Cathedral, where a multi faith service of Thanksgiving was held.
Present for the service were, among others, British Prime Minister Liz Truss, and the Irish President, Michael D. Higgins, First Lady and Prime Minister, as well as representatives from all Christian churches in Northern Ireland.
The opening procession was accompanied by the same fanfare that sounded in church when Queen Elizabeth II visited Northern Ireland in her Coronation tour in 1953; music throughout the service was offered by the local choir accompanied by organist Jack Wilson.
The homily, which was offered by Rev John McDowell, Archbishop of Armagh, was focussed on the concepts of forgiveness and reconciliation, and the examples provided by the late Queen in her roles as both a Christian and a leader.
At the end of the service, King Charles and Queen Camilla stopped to chat to authorities, including President Higgins, before exiting the Cathedral to hold another walkabout, in which they met members of the local population.
Their Majesties were then driven to Belfast Airport, from where they will flew back to London.
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