Charles and Camilla Begin Belfast Visit With Festival, Titanic and W5 LIFE

King Charles and Queen Camilla have arrived in Belfast for a multi-day visit to Northern Ireland, focusing on cultural heritage and community engagement. The unannounced visit began with the royal couple marking the upcoming Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, a major festival of traditional Irish music, song, and dance, which will be held in Belfast for the first time this August.

The King and Queen joined organizers and performers for the event, which is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors. They observed traditional performances and spoke with those involved in planning the festival, which aims to feature cross-community and multicultural acts.

Following the cultural event, the royal tour proceeded to the Titanic Quarter. There, Charles and Camilla visited Titanic Distillers, a whiskey distillery housed in a restored Edwardian pumphouse historically linked to the RMS Titanic. They met with staff, learned about the whiskey production process, and participated in a bottling demonstration.

The itinerary also included a visit to the W5 LIFE initiative, a program established in 2022 to address digital skills needs in the region’s economy. King Charles participated in hands-on...