London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

King Charles III says Queen prayed for Northern Ireland

King Charles III says Queen prayed for Northern Ireland

On his first visit to Northern Ireland as King, Charles III said his mother "never ceased to pray for the best of times for this place and its people".

The King also received a message of condolence from the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Sinn Féin's Alex Maskey said the Queen recognised how a "small but significant gesture can make a huge difference in changing attitudes".

The royal couple spent just over four hours in Northern Ireland.

Their first engagement was at Hillsborough Castle, the only royal residence in Northern Ireland, which has been a focal point for floral tributes to the late Queen.

The King and Camilla, the Queen Consort, met well-wishers in the County Down village, before the King held a private meeting with Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris and senior representatives from Stormont's political parties.

The royal couple then travelled into Belfast for a service in St Anne's Cathedral, Belfast.


Irish address from speaker


Speaking at Hillsborough Castle, the King said the late Queen had seen momentous and historic changes throughout her long reign.

"My mother felt deeply, I know, the significance of the role she herself played in bringing together those who history had separated and extending a hand to make possible the healing of long-held hurts," he said.

"Now, with that shining example before me, and with God's help, I take up my new duties resolved to seek the welfare of all the inhabitants of Northern Ireland."

Starting his speech in Irish, Mr Maskey, Sinn Féin's longest-serving elected representative, said: "Ba mhaith liom comhbhrón a dhéanamh leat ag an am crua seo (I would like to sympathise with you at this difficult time).

"It's extraordinary to consider how much social and political change Queen Elizabeth witnessed... throughout her long reign.

"Yesterday an assembly of unionists, republicans, nationalists and those for whom the Constitution is not a main focus united to pay tribute to the late Queen.

"When she first came to the throne, no one would have anticipated an assembly so diverse and inclusive."

King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort arrived at Belfast City Airport


After leaving Hillsborough Castle the royal couple travelled into Belfast to 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.

During the service, Archbishop of Armagh John McDowell, the head of the Church of Ireland, highlighted the Queen's efforts to foster peace on the island of Ireland.

He told the King and Queen Consort that "faithfulness, care, dutifulness, love and devotion" were all part of her long reign.

"All of these could be employed to describe her relationship with Northern Ireland, with patience binding them all together, but paying attention especially to what she said most recently, the word which I think will be most associated with Queen Elizabeth and Ireland, north and south, is 'reconciliation'," the archbishop said.

He added that the Queen "followed where Jesus led as women often have in the elusive and unfinished work of reconciliation here in Ireland".

Prime Minister Liz Truss attended the service, along with Irish President Michael D Higgins and Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin.

Again, hundreds of people lined the route through the city.

The Reas from Carryduff and the Dolans from Belvoir took the day off school and made their way to City Hall at 08:00 BST to see the royal couple.

Back (LR) - Jack Rea, Nicola Rea, Lisa Dolan Front - Sophie Rea, Harry Dolan


"We'll never see anything like this again," said Lisa Dolan.

"It's a once in a lifetime event."

Ms Dolan said she felt sorry for the King being "unable to grieve the way the rest of us would", but understood it was his duty as monarch.

"He's been working towards this his entire life," she added.

Hazelwood Integrated students Jo and James were among those who gathered at Writers' Square, across from St Anne's Cathedral.

Hazelwood Integrated students Jo and James hoped to see the royal couple after the service at St Anne's Cathedral


They said that as history students, they were excited to be witnessing such an historical event.

"I was a wee bit heartbroken when the queen died - I'm not going to lie," said James.

But he was equally excited to see the new King.

"I had never really thought about the Queen as a force in my life until she died and then it felt like something was missing," Jo said.

Irish President Michael D Higgins greeting Prime Minister Liz Truss at St Anne's Cathedral


At the end of the service, the King and Queen Consort left St Anne's through the west door where they again met members of the public in Writers' Square, before heading back to Belfast City Airport for the return flight to London.


King Charles III: New King meets NI parties for first time as monarch

The Queen made a "huge difference in changing attitudes" in Northern Ireland, says Stormont Speaker Alex Maskey




Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×