Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla have arrived in Belfast for a two-day tour of Northern Ireland.
The Royal couple started their trip with a visit to Belfast City Hall and the famous Harland & Wolff shipyard, a site where Prince Charles’ father, The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, had visited nearly 50 years prior. The visit likely held a great degree of sentimentality for the Prince of Wales given the recent passing of Prince Phillip.
What did Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla do their first day in Ireland?
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall wasted no time in heading out to visit local landmarks and important historical sites. They started with a visit to Belfast City Hall where they met with historians to talk about the 100th anniversary of Northern Ireland.
While Prince Charles devoted his attention to discussing the centenary, Duchess Camilla spent time learning about Belfast’s goal to becoming a UNESCO City of Music and meeting with a women’s steering group.
The royal couple seemed to be having a good time as they learned about the city’s rich history and chatted with the staff at City Hall. Prince Charles later visited Hillsborough Castle where Northern Ireland’s Secretary of State resides, pausing his tour for some official photos to be taken.
The Prince looked dapper in a navy-blue suit, white shirt, and fun dog-themed tie. Duchess Camilla wore a long, forest-green dress with a matching face mask.
As reported by the official Facebook page for the Royal family, Prince Charles also added a tour of the Slieve Gullion Forest Park in County Armagh to learn more about the park’s efforts in conservation.
The visit to the park comes on the heels of a video promotion coming out from the Queen and Prince Charles to support The Queen’s Green Canopy initiative. The scheme aims to gain the involvement of the community to plant as many trees as possible between October and late 2022 in preparation for the Queen’s jubilee.
What was the Duchess up to?
While the Prince was busy at the park, the Duchess was doing her own tour of the 2 Rifles Regiment as part of her role as Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles. She was updated on the events coming up for the Battalion and observed some field training.
The Duchess also spent some time visiting a local silversmith named Cara Murphy who told Duchess Camilla that she learned the trade from her father and had set up her own business 26 years prior.
The Royals also met with some youth at the Education Authority Headquarters where Prince Charles gave an inspiring speech that paid tribute to youth workers. His Royal Highness said he was “profoundly moved” by the efforts at the headquarters to improve the future of young laborers and “heal the pain of the past.”