Opinion: New monarch displays impeccable dignity and warmth

Closing his address on Friday evening after the death of Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 96, the King - paying tribute to his ‘darling mama’ - said: ‘I want simply to say this: thank you. Thank you for your love and devotion to our family and to the family of nations you have served so diligently all these year. May ‘flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest’.’

And during his first historic visit to Northern Ireland as monarch, another phrase from Hamlet sprang to mind, that ‘the king is but a man’, for here was a man, a devoted son, meeting loyal subjects in the midst of his own heartbreak, but doing so with impeccable dignity and great courage.

It must be remembered that the new King has suffered the enormous and wrenching loss of not one, but two parents within a short space of time.

What an emotional burden that would be to carry if you are far removed from the public eye, how much more so when your family is ensconced in the world’s spotlight.

And yet when duty called and the new King followed with grace and unwavering decorum.

Did he have to steel himself for the day’s events? We’ll never know.

Was he nervous knowing his actions would be scrutinised and, in all likelihood, judged? Again, we’ll never know.

Thankfully, Northern Ireland’s notoriously temperamental weather behaved and as the sun shone, the new King met hordes of flag-waving, well-wishers in the pretty, historic Georgian village of Royal Hillsborough,

King Charles III and the Queen Consort, looking sartorially elegant, her stylish black dress adorned by a diamond shamrock brooch, seemed in no rush as they chatted with excited schoolchildren and adults

As the King shook hands with members of the public (often using both hands, such were the crowds which flocked to see the new sovereign), what came across was his accessibility and a real feeling of affection towards those who had come out to meet and greet him on this auspicious occasion, a day when ordinary people were participants in history as it was being made.

King Charles III spoke intently to people, and seemed very relaxed and at ease, perhaps buoyed and comforted in the knowledge that the people of Northern Ireland were grieving with him, but also rooting for him.

One of the most touching moments was when the Royal pair stopped to pet a cute Corgi, his late mother’s favourite breed, before the more formal proceedings inside Hillsborough Castle, home to many watershed moments during the late Queen’s reign.

It was a day steeped in historical significance; the King’s 40th visit to Northern Ireland, but his first as monarch, and the first time a British king has visited in almost 80 years.

The visit, of course, takes place during a time of deep political crisis in Northern Ireland, and speaking at the Royal residence, which hosted negotiations ahead of the Good Friday Agreement, the new monarch said the late Queen was aware of her position in bringing together divided communities “whom history had separated”.

“Through all those years she never ceased to pray for the best of times for this place, and its people whose stories she knew, whose sorrows our family had felt,” he added in a reference to the IRA’s murder of Lord Mountbatten.

With significant Northern Ireland political figures watching, the King made a pledge: “Now, with that shining example before me, and with God’s help, I take up my new duties resolved to seek the welfare of all the inhabitants of Northern Ireland.”

In a moment rich in symbolism, the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Sinn Fein’s Alex Maskey said, “may she rest in peace” in Irish, which Charles accepted with respect.

At the service of remembrance for the Queen at St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast, politicians from the Irish and British government, including the new Prime Minister Liz Truss, the toaiseach, Micheál Martin, the Irish foreign minister, Simon Coveney, and Ireland’s president, Michael D Higgins, had the chance to set aside, temporarily at least, their post-Brexit divisions.

It is thought the King, a man whose future has been coming for so long, will endeavour to emulate the work of his late mother, (whom Eamonn Holmes described as the Queen of Peace’), by turning the monarchy into a force for unity in Northern Ireland, rather than division.

The service was beautiful and very moving, a time to reflect on the Queen’s legacy and her role in helping ameliorate centuries of bitter and bloody conflict between nationalism and unionism in the Province.

The King is no stranger to Northern Ireland’s political dynamics.

As prince he made by one count 39 official visits to the region, reassuring unionists that they were a cherished part of the UK while reaching out to republicans, most notably in a handshake with Gerry Adams in 2015.

But will he deliver the same reassurance that the UK will remain united? That remains to be seen.

After the service in St Anne’s and to chants of ‘God Save the King’, the new monarch finished his day in Northern Ireland as it had began, with a walkabout in Writer’s Square, shaking hands with well-wishers, accepting condolences for his loss and good wishes for his tenure.

What a hugely significant and poignant day for Northern Ireland.

A day to mourn the loss of the beloved Queen Elizabeth II, but also a day of excitement for the new King.

It was a day which will never be forgotten.