Eager Belfast crowds await Charles’s first visit as Kingon September 13, 2022 at 10:07 am

King Charles III will make his first visit to Northern Ireland as monarch on Tuesday, as part of a tour of the UK.

He will meet Stormont’s party leaders and receive a message of condolence from the speaker of the assembly.

Camilla, the Queen Consort, will accompany him, and PM Liz Truss will join the royal couple at a church service in Belfast.

Charles became King following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on Thursday.

Thousands of people have queued through the night to file past her coffin as it stands on public view for 24 hours at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh.

Later it will be flown to London, where the Queen will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday.

When King Charles and Camilla arrive at Belfast City Airport on Tuesday, they will be greeted by Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris, the chief executive of the airport, the lord lieutenant of Belfast and some school children.

They will then travel to Hillsborough Castle for a number of engagements.

The crowds began to gather before dawn in Hillsborough, hoping to get a good view of the new King.

Among the earliest to arrive were Sharon Douglas from Carryduff, outside Belfast, and sisters Norma McKinney, Vanessa Patten and Rhonda Irvine, from Ballymena, County Antrim.

“We were up at 4am and here at 5.45,” said Norma.

“We wanted to be here early to let him know he’s got our support,” says Sharon. “It’s sad, we want to give him our condolences but also tell him we’re happy for him.”

When King Charles arrives at Hillsborough, there will be a short walkabout, during which the Royal couple will meet members of the public and view the many tributes left to the late Queen.

At the official Royal residence, there will be a gun salute when the King enters Hillsborough Castle.

A total of 21 rounds, at a rate of six rounds per minute, will be fired.

The Royal Standard will also be flown during the visit to Hillsborough Castle.

Once inside, the King and Queen Consort will view photographs showing the Queen in Northern Ireland.

The King will host a private audience with Mr Heaton-Harris before meeting local party leaders, and receiving a message of condolence from the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Alex Maskey.

When the late Queen began her reign, Northern Ireland was the only part of the UK with a devolved government – made up exclusively of politicians dedicated to the authority of the crown.

The political landscape at the beginning of King Charles’s time is very different.

The principle of devolution is now based on power sharing between unionists and nationalists – though the latest deadlock means the Stormont Executive has not been fully functioning since February.

Unionism retains an overall electoral lead over nationalism.

But that advantage has narrowed, mainly because of the growth of parties which are neutral on the constitutional status of Northern Ireland.

The biggest individual party in the devolved Assembly is Sinn Féin – whose ultimate aim is taking Northern Ireland out of King Charles’s realm.

If there is a referendum on Irish unity – the King will not be able to express an opinion.

But his decision to visit Northern Ireland and the other devolved nations of the UK in his first few days as monarch will be seen as demonstrating his commitment to the union.

Later on Tuesday, the King and Queen Consort will meet leaders from all the major faiths in Northern Ireland before a service of prayer and reflection on the life of Queen Elizabeth II at St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast on Tuesday afternoon.

The Royal couple will travel through Belfast city centre on a route which will include Wellington Place, Donegall Square North, Chichester Street and Victoria Street.

At the end of the service, the King and Queen Consort will be escorted to the steps at the west door of the cathedral, where the royal couple may choose to meet members of the public at the Donegall Street end of Writers’ Square.

A shuttle bus service will operate from 07:00 to 10:30 BST on Tuesday, departing from both Lisburn train station and the Eikon Centre, for members of the public who would like to visit Royal Hillsborough on Tuesday.

Traffic disruption is expected in Belfast and Hillsborough, and Translink has warned customers to expect some delays.

King Charles will return to London on Tuesday evening.

This will be His Majesty’s 40th trip to Northern Ireland, but his first as King.