The King hailed the spirit of ‘keeping on going’ before downing a dram of whiskey in Belfast today. Charles was joined by Queen Camilla on a trip to Northern Ireland to celebrate the local cultural and community in the city.
The couple arrived at Commercial Court dubbed the city’s “most attractive street”. They were greeted by music from a sea shanty band and met dignitaries including Sinn Fein MP John Finucane. Jim Ingram, manager of Friend of Hand Whiskey Shop, handed the King a bottle of grog. After being given a bunch of flowers Camilla then pinned a daffodil on the King’s lapel.
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The Causeway Shantymen performed ‘Drunken Sailor’ to their royal guests. Greeting the 20 performers Charles joked: “You are only here for the whiskey anyway.” They tapped their feet as the band played.
Inside the Sea Holly Gallery they were shown paintings of locals including barbers, police officers and a window cleaner. And they chatted to the locals who sat for their portraits during the tour.
Circus performers Professor H and Igor put on an acrobatic stunt which impressed the royal couple. They run the nearby ‘Circusfall’ clown school for children and adults. Speaking afterwards Professor H, real name Hillias Smith, said: “The King said keeping on going does you good.” The King and Queen then unveiled a plaque to make their visit.
While pulling back the cover, the King joked: “It looks like a doily it’s probably needed on a table.” After their visit the couple had a surprise tour of Friend at Hand Whiskey Shop. They visited tasting room and sipped some whiskey.
Meanwhile, Chris McNevison, of Sign Craft, said the royals were “really interested in what we had done”. He said: “(It was) very humbling to see him come down our own Commercial Court there, the heart of the Cathedral Quarter.
“This street has just become so iconic and symbolic of what we have in Belfast, the sort of talent and creativity that’s here. It’s certainly a day to remember.”
Charles and Camilla’s visit to Northern Ireland comes just weeks before they head off to Italy on another trip. It was confirmed earlier this week that their planned state visit to the Vatican to meet Pope Francis will go ahead despite the pontiff’s continuing hospital treatment for double pneumonia.
The improving outlook for the Pope means the historic gathering is scheduled to take place in Rome in early April to celebrate the papal jubilee and the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Church of England. A Buckingham Palace source said they had shared “our hopes and prayers that Pope Francis’s health will enable the visit to go ahead”.
The historic tour, exclusively revealed earlier this year by The Mirror, will run from April 7 to 10 and include two state visits, to Rome and Ravenna in Italy, and separately the Holy See, the government of the Roman Catholic Church, in the Vatican – the smallest independent state in the world.
Charles will pass two milestones, becoming the first British monarch to visit the Papal Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls, the resting place of St Paul since the reformation, and address both houses of Italy’s parliament.
The visit will also hold special significance for Charles, 76 and Camilla, 77, as it will take place over their 20th wedding anniversary on April 9. The King will hold audiences with Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the monarch and his wife will attend a black-tie state banquet at the Palazzo Quirinale, hosted by the president.
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