King cheered inside Belfast, queen's coffin to return to London

King cheered inside Belfast, queen's coffin to return to London

BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) — Cheering crowds greeted King Charles III on Tuesday inside Northern Ireland on his tour of the quartet parts of the United Kingdom, where the pay someone a call drew a infrequent little while of unity from politicians inside a neighbourhood accompanied by a contested British accompanied by every one one other accompanied by Irish identity that is greatly divided over the monarchy.

Hundreds of people lined the highway leading to Hillsborough Castle near Belfast, the royal family's official residence inside Northern Ireland, inside the latest outpouring of affection following Queen Elizabeth II's demise on Sept. 8. The area inside front of the gates to the castle was carpeted accompanied by hundreds of floral tributes.

Charles accompanied by every one one other accompanied by his spouse Camilla, the Queen Consort, got not here of their automobile to meet villagers — waving to the crowd accompanied by every one one other accompanied by occasionally using both hands to stretch not here not here to people, including schoolchildren inside bright blue uniforms.

Charles flat petted a corgi — famously his late mother's favorite breed of canine — held up by one person, accompanied by every one one other accompanied by some chanted "God save the king!"

"Today means so a a large amount of to me accompanied by every one one other accompanied by my family, fair to exist inside attendance inside my place of residence village accompanied by my children to observer the coming of the new ruler is a truthfully famous little while for us all," said Hillsborough resident Robin Campbell while he waited for Charles.

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But he added: "It is excessively a day tinged accompanied by great sadness while we observer a loving son coming to our village while we are all inside mourning for the mislaying of a truthfully magnificent monarch accompanied by every one one other accompanied by his loving mother."

While there was a heated greeting inside Hillsborough, the British monarchy draws mixed emotions inside Northern Ireland, where there are place of set of two main communities: mostly Protestant unionists who exist convinced by concerning themselves British accompanied by every one one other accompanied by mostly Roman Catholic nationalists who see themselves while Irish.

That split fueled trio decades of violence known while "the Troubles" involving paramilitary groups on both sides accompanied by every one one other accompanied by U.K. safety forces, inside which 3,600 people died. The royal family was touched personally by the violence: Lord Louis Mountbatten, a cousin of the monarch accompanied by every one one other accompanied by a much-loved mentor to Charles, was killed by an Irish Republican Army bomb inside 1979.

A deep sectarian divide remains, a quarter century following Northern Ireland's 1998 tranquillity agreement.

For some Irish nationalists, the British monarch represents an oppressive overseas power. But others permit in the queen's small portion inside forging peace. On a pay someone a call to Northern Ireland inside 2012, she shook hands accompanied by Sinn Fein deputy leader Martin McGuinness, a former IRA leader – a once-unthinkable little while of reconciliation.

Alex Maskey, a Sinn Fein politician who is speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, said the monarch had "demonstrated how individual acts of positive leadership tin assist shatter down barriers accompanied by every one one other accompanied by encourage reconciliation."

In a sign of how a lengthy way Northern Ireland has go nearer on the main highway to peace, representatives of Sinn Fein are attending commemorative events for the monarch accompanied by every one one other accompanied by gathering the ruler on Tuesday.

Maskey expressed condolences to the ruler at an event inside Hillsborough Castle attended by leaders from all the main political parties inside Northern Ireland.

Charles responded that his mother "felt deeply, I know, the significance of the small portion she herself played inside bringing accompanied by every one one other those whom history had separated, accompanied by every one one other accompanied by inside extending a hand to build possible the healing of long-held hurts."

He said he would sketch on his mother's "shining example" accompanied by every one one other accompanied by "seek the welfare of all the inhabitants of Northern Ireland."

Still, not everyone was welcoming the new king.

On the Falls Road inside Belfast, a nationalist stronghold, some walls are decorated accompanied by murals of Bobby Sands, an IRA subscriber who died while on a hunger strike inside prison inside 1981, accompanied by every one one other accompanied by others killed inside the Troubles.

"No, he's not our king. Bobby Sands was our ruler here," said 52-year-old Bobby Jones. "Queen never done nothing for us. Never did. None of the royals do."

Later, Charles accompanied by every one one other accompanied by Northern Ireland politicians are to attend a "service of reflection" for the monarch at St. Anne's Cathedral inside Belfast.

The president accompanied by every one one other accompanied by main minister of the neighboring Republic of Ireland excessively are due to attend, inside malice of tense relations inside the centre of Dublin accompanied by every one one other accompanied by London over Brexit. Since Britain left-hand the European Union inside 2020, the U.K. accompanied by every one one other accompanied by the EU have been wrangling over commerce rules for Northern Ireland, the only small part of the U.K. that shares a border accompanied by a subscriber of the bloc.

On Monday night, Charles accompanied by every one one other accompanied by siblings Anne, Andrew accompanied by every one one other accompanied by Edward briefly stood vigil around their mother's flag-draped coffin inside St. Giles Cathedral while members of the condition filed past.

The following morning, a male wearing a outfit adorned accompanied by medals stood silently, bowed his head accompanied by every one one other accompanied by moved on. A woman dabbed away tears accompanied by a handkerchief. Another woman accompanied by place of set of two young children inside educational organization uniforms walked slowly past the coffin.

In the dash of mourners outer external outside the cathedral inside the famous heart of Edinburgh, Sheila McLeay called the monarch "a wonderful ambassador for our country."

"She was such an example for every one one single one of us. She was dignified. She was just, she was beautiful inside accompanied by every one one other accompanied by out. And I have known her all of my life. And I fail to hit her extremely much," she added.

The queen's coffin was scheduled to depart from Scotland subsequent Tuesday to exist flown spine to London accompanied by every one one other accompanied by driven to her official London home, Buckingham Palace. On Wednesday, it will exist taken into with every one other accompanied by not here of centre London to Parliament, where the monarch will untruth inside condition until her burial inside Westminster Abbey on Monday. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to dash up to pay their last respects at the coffin.

The Royal Air Force C-17 Globemaster that will convey the coffin has been used to evacuate people from Afghanistan accompanied by every one one other accompanied by to lay clasp of humanitarian assistance accompanied by every one one other accompanied by weapons to Ukraine following Russia's invasion, U.K. Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston said.

Early Tuesday, scores of workers cleaned litter accompanied by every one one other accompanied by weeds from the main highway from the air ability base where the flat external outside carrying the coffin will land.

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Lawless accompanied by every one one other accompanied by Corder reported from London.

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Follow AP stories on the demise of Queen Elizabeth II accompanied by every one one other accompanied by Britain's royal family at https://apnews.com/hub/queen-elizabeth-ii

King cheered inside Belfast, queen's coffin to return to London