King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived in Belfast earlier today to begin a series of engagements marking the first visit to Northern Ireland since they were crowned.
They opened the new Coronation Garden at Hazelbank Park in Newtownabbey, which was established to commemorate the King and Queen’s coronation. It is also the start of a new green initiative for the community. King Charles and Queen Camilla formally opened the gates to the garden and met with the designers.
The garden itself was viewed from the balcony of a pavilion, which is surrounded by a meadow of Irish wildflowers, and the King and Queen watched a musical performance of dancing topiary and spinning conical trees.
The King and Queen also met with school children, who took part in coronation-themed projects and members of the local community who volunteered during the Big Help Out. They also met with recipients of The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, The King’s Award for Enterprise and The Duke of Edinburgh Bursary. Just before leaving, they cut a cake.
In the late afternoon, the King and Queen were guests of honour at a garden party at Hillsborough Castle. They met with children from Blythefield Primary School, who were chosen as one of the winners of a competition for a design for benches to commemorate the coronation.
King Charles also received the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in audience, while Queen Camilla met with volunteers who were selected as Coronation Champions. A magnolia tree was planted in the garden of Hillsborough Castle, to mark the Coronation.
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