As the new monarch explores his realm, King Charles and the Queen Consort have arrived in Northern Ireland for a historic visit.
Before traveling back to London to collect his mother’s coffin, the future monarch will meet political figures in the country, such as Sinn Fein’s First Minister-designate Michelle O’Neil.
His Majesty has landed in Belfast for the first visit by a British royal to the country in nearly eight decades.
This is King Charles’ forty-first visit to Northern Ireland, but his first as monarch.
The King will meet with political leaders, including the vice president of Sinn Fein, at Hillsborough Castle, the royal residence of Northern Ireland.
The King and Queen Consort, who are touring the United Kingdom as part of Operation Spring Tide, will return to London later to receive his mother’s coffin at Buckingham Palace.
After their flight from Edinburgh, the King and Queen Consort were received at Belfast City Airport by a gathering of dignitaries, including the new Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris.
The Lord Lieutenant of Belfast, Fionnuala Jay-O’Boyle, and the chief executive of Belfast City Airport, Matthew Hall, were also present when the royal couple departed their jet shortly before noon.
Ella Smith and Lucas Watt, both 10 years old and students from Forge Integrated Primary School in Belfast, presented the King with a box of truffles depicting the Giant’s Causeway, while Camilla received a tiny bouquet from the gardens of Hillsborough Castle.
Hundreds of people are gathered in the village of Royal Hillsborough in preparation for the arrival of the King, with many lining the community’s Main Street near the castle.
Shuttle buses are transporting spectators into the village as part of a major security operation.
Once reaching the castle, the King and Queen Consort will have a private audience with Mr. Heaton-Harris and hear a message of condolence from Alex Maskey, the speaker of the Stormont Assembly, on behalf of the country’s people.
They will then join members of the public for a reception hosted by Mr. Heaton-Harris at the castle.
The royal couple will also meet Michelle O’Neill, vice president of Sinn Fein.
This meeting illustrates the fast change in Irish republican politics over the past decade.
Sinn Fein was heavily criticized in 2011 for boycotting the Queen’s state visit to Ireland. It was the first state visit by a British monarch since Ireland achieved independence from the United Kingdom a century ago.
After completing their obligations at the castle, King Charles and Camilla will drive to St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast for a memorial service for the Queen.
People have already begun to gather in front of the cathedral in anticipation of the King’s visit this afternoon.
The memorial service will be attended by Irish President Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina, Taoiseach Micheal Martin, and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney.
The royal couple will also meet with religious leaders from Northern Ireland’s major faiths.
The public has been encouraged to line the streets between the castle and the cathedral as King Charles and Camilla proceed via Hillsborough’s Main Street and Lisburn Street before entering Belfast via Wellington Place, Donegal Square North, Chichester Street, and Victoria Street.
The King and Queen Consort will also visit the closed-to-the-public Writers’ Square in Belfast.
Meanwhile, the Queen’s coffin will make a solemn journey from St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh to Buckingham Palace.
Members of the public are already in line for the Wednesday opening of the Queen’s lying in state at Westminster Hall in London, while thousands continue to lay flowers and tributes in Green Park.
