In Pictures: Pints with royal approval and a seagull splattering for the King

King in Northern Irelandplaceholder image
King in Northern Ireland

The King and Queen attended a series of events on day two of their visit to Northern Ireland.

The Queen joked that she is “not quite the expert, but my husband is” as she poured a pint of Guinness in Royal Hillsborough.

placeholder image

Camilla brought traffic to a standstill in the Co Down village with deep royal connections, as hundreds lined the streets when she took part in a walkabout and met with wellwishers and children from local schools.

And the King received an unwanted memento from a visit to a seaside resort where he celebrated the work of local charities – a splattering from a seagull.

placeholder image

Charles joked about his encounter with the bird that left its mark on the bottom of his suit jacket as he toured Newcastle.

placeholder image

The engagements came on the second day of the King and Queen’s visit to Northern Ireland.

placeholder image
placeholder image

Word of the Queen’s attendance in the village had spread and hundreds lined barriers along the main street, with Camilla taking time to shake hands with many of those who had gathered.

She then walked the short distance to Arthur’s Coffee House where she met with staff, customers and a number of residents from the village.

She also took time to speak with some of the uniformed members of the Hillsborough Fort Guard, which carries out ceremonial duties in the village and was last year restored to full strength for the first time in 130 years.

placeholder image
placeholder image

Meanwhile, the King was given a “VIP” movie ticket when he joined film fans running a community cinema.

Charles visited Newcastle and toured the local attraction that has been staging screenings since 2009.

placeholder image
placeholder image
placeholder image

The King also hailed “amazing” foodbank volunteers when he packed boxes of groceries for those in need.

placeholder image

Charles was given the task of filling two boxes with bread, vegetables, tinned goods and toiletries when he met helpers from the Pantry Foodbank based in a church in Newcastle.

He was told by the Pantry’s chairman John O’Neill the items were for one individual and later while looking at boxes destined for a family he made the volunteers laugh when he touched a toilet roll and said “very important”.

Related topics:
Local news you can trust
Follow us
© 2026 Iconic Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice