Queen cools down heat of the crowd: Camilla gets ice cream from a century-old family shop, as 2,500 people warmly welcome her and King Charles to Newtownards
The Queen enjoyed a taste of Italy that’s been in Co Down for 100 years, as she and King Charles were welcomed to Newtownards by a flag-waving crowd of 2,500 people.
Although the long weekend may not have hit yet, the town was in a jubilant mood today as the royal couple stopped off in central Conway Square on the final part of a three-day visit to Northern Ireland.
So good was the collective vibe it felt more like the fair had rolled into the heart of the town, gathered onlookers cheering with delight as the king and queen moved to greet them and shake excitedly outstretched hands.
Many of the eager royal-watchers who gathered throughout the morning had brought their baby children along, pleased to able to have the even youngest around sharing in a day that will live on in the collective memory of Newtownards.
Their majesties were there to tour a craft market, meeting local suppliers of produce from the first pick of this year’s Comber spuds to artisanal alcohol-free spirits and traditional craft makers such as a basket weaver and a woodturner, as well as getting up close and personal with Newtownards’ very own Olympic gold medallist, gymnast Rhys McClenaghan.
It was part of a whirlwind day that also saw King Charles try his hand at a ukulele in an allotment and experiment with baking a “VIP dessert” at a community hub that caters to people struggling against food poverty.
The latter event also saw Queen Camilla learned about the hub’s “blind date with a book” initiative, which encourages people to try new genres of literature.
In Conway Square, the heat of the midday crowd saw the queen cool down with a treat from Cafolla’s, a traditional Italian-style ice cream parlour that recently celebrated its 100th anniversary.
The royal couple also met local primary school kids at Conway Square’s Paddington bench.
Featuring a statue of the nation’s favourite bear snacking on his favourite marmalade sandwiches, the bench is one of 20 built across the UK – but the only one in Northern Ireland, making it something of a tourist attraction as well as a source of local pride.
Michael and Marie Cafolla served Queen Camilla her ice cream – vanilla with a wafer, they revealed to the News Letter, though 99s were available.
“We traditionally make vanilla ice cream, it’s been our history,” said Michael. “My grandparents came over from Italy, settled in Newtownards and set up the business.
“The queen said she didn’t want to put it down and could happily just stay here, so she seemed to enjoy it. In fact, she sent over her team to have some after she left.
“To my knowledge, this is the first time in 100 years of the business that we’ve had a royal try some of our ice cream. We’re very proud, it’s a great day for the family.”
Joked Michael: “I’m not sure if it qualifies for ‘by Royal Appointment’, but if it does I’ll take it.”
Clive O’Neill has run a fruit and vegetable shop on the corner of Conway Square for 31 years. He was delighted to be able to show off some freshly picked local produce – the first of this year’s potatoes from the noted Comber growing area, and a handful of newly ripe tomatoes.
"The spuds were dug this morning, before the king arrived,” he said. “Tomorrow we start to sell them in the shop, but these today were the first.
“We’re growing our own tomatoes and this morning managed to get the first four of the season pulled. The king had them in his hand, he thought they were great; it may not be a huge achievement, only four, but it is very early in the season.”
Having their majesties tour the market and see what Newtownards has to offer meant a lot, he said, adding: “It was fantastic, it was just an honour to be asked.”
Furniture maker and woodturner Mark Hanvey showed his skills to King Charles, demonstrating his ability with a lathe to create bespoke items using traditional methods that fell out of favour with the development of factory-built products.
As he’s brought a few innovations to the practice, such as creating decorative pieces from the normally discarded pith of a tree.
“It involves a lot of turning and carving timber,” he said. “The king seemed genuinely interested – he knew all the timbers, and of course he’s very strong on the environment and the natural world.
“It was a great thrill to be involved. I don’t usually have people cheering when I’m using the lathe, but today was a wonderful atmosphere.”