Royal Couple Celebrate Belfast Fleadh Festival
King Charles III and Queen Camilla have arrived in Belfast for their first visit to Northern Ireland this year, beginning their trip with a celebration of Irish music and culture at the city’s Titanic Quarter.
The royal couple attended an event marking Belfast’s role as host of this year’s Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, the world’s largest festival of Irish music and dance. Scheduled for August, the festival will be held in Belfast for the first time.
At the launch event, the King and Queen received a warm welcome from Irish musicians and dancers, highlighting the cultural significance of the upcoming festival.
This latest trip marks King Charles’s 43rd visit to Northern Ireland, spanning his years as Prince of Wales and now as monarch. His connection to the region dates back to 1961, when he first visited alongside his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, his father Prince Philip, and his sister Princess Anne.
The King maintained annual visits to Northern Ireland from 2002 until 2023, before pausing following his cancer diagnosis in 2024. His treatment has since been reduced, and royal sources say he continues to recover well.
Last March, the 77-year-old monarch visited Northern Ireland and met First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, with engagements that included a visit to Belfast city centre.
Queen Camilla’s latest trip is her 24th visit to Northern Ireland. Nineteen of those visits took place during her time as Duchess of Cornwall. In March 2024, shortly after the King’s cancer diagnosis, she travelled to the region alone.
The couple were welcomed to Belfast by city council chief executive John Walsh and Lord Mayor Tracy Kelly, who attended as part of her final official duties in office.
The visit comes shortly after confirmation that King Charles has accepted an invitation to make his first official visit to the Republic of Ireland since becoming King. The invitation was extended by Irish President Catherine Connolly during her official visit to England, though a date for the trip has not yet been announced.
The planned visit will carry historic significance, following Queen Elizabeth II’s landmark state visit to Ireland in 2011 — the first by a British monarch since Irish independence.
