King Charles laughed off Newcastle bird-dropping mishap
king charles was splashed with bird droppings on the back of his jacket during a walkabout in Newcastle on Wednesday, as he carried out day two of a visit to Northern Ireland. He responded, “At least it didn't land on my head.”
Later, a member of the crowd told him it was a “good luck” sign. The moment came after he had started the day at Newcastle's Community Cinema, where he was presented with a VIP movie ticket, and then visited the Pantry Foodbank based in Donard Methodist Church.
Newcastle walkabout
The Newcastle stop was one of separate engagements King Charles III and Queen Camilla carried out in County Down on Wednesday. The King also praised the foodbank volunteers and helped pack boxes of groceries for people in need, keeping the visit focused on local charity work even after the bird-dropping incident.
That Newcastle walkabout carried a sharper profile because it was part of the King's 43rd visit to Northern Ireland, a long run of trips that now stretches from his first visit in 1961 with his mother, his father the Duke of Edinburgh and his sister Princess Anne.
Camilla in Hillsborough
Queen Camilla was in Hillsborough, where she met local businesses and helped pour a pint of Guinness at the Parson's Nose pub and restaurant. While serving the drink, she joked, “not quite the expert, but my husband is,” and received a round of applause.
The split schedule gave the visit a visible local focus: the King in Newcastle, the Queen in Hillsborough, both in County Down on the same day.
Republic of Ireland visit
On Monday, it was announced that King Charles is due to make his first visit to the Republic of Ireland since becoming King next year, following an invitation from Irish President Catherine Connolly. No date has been set for that trip, which would follow Queen Elizabeth II's state visit to Ireland in 2011, the first by a British monarch since Irish independence.
For now, the Newcastle moment is the image from Wednesday, but the next named diplomatic development is the planned visit to the Republic of Ireland next year after the invitation from Catherine Connolly.
