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

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.

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

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


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.


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.



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

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”.














