King Charles and Queen Camilla received a hearty welcome to Belfast Thursday, on the first day of their official visit to Northern Ireland.

Arriving at one of the city’s most beautiful streetscapes—as voted such in 2022—the royal couple met with various groups at Commercial Court, representing the spheres of tourism, hospitality and arts. During a whirlwind trip down the street, the royals spoke with business owners and well-wishers, and popped in to visit the Sea Holly Gallery, which promotes Northern Irish artists.

At the Friend of Hand Whiskey Shop, the royal couple toasted and downed glasses of whiskey—the Queen could be heard laughing after her swig, chuckling at how strong it was; while King Charles called it “very good.”

The King and Queen also met with Northern Ireland’s First Minister, Michelle O’Neill, and Deputy Minister, Emma Little-Pengelly, at Hillsborough Castle. At the meeting, King Charles greeted his First Minister in Irish, telling her “Tráthnóna maith, a Chéad Aire,” which translates to “Good afternoon, First Minister.”

O’Neill later posted of their meeting on X, writing: “We greeted each other in Irish and spoke of our shared respect for language, culture and identity. We discussed the importance of positive Irish and British relations as change happens across our society. As First Minister, I will work tirelessly every day to represent all our people and communities.”

Later in the day, King Charles paid a solo visit to the Newforge Sports Complex and Event Hub. The Hub, according to its website, features outdoor pitches including “a grass pitch, a 3G artificial pitch, hockey pitch, 2G training area and artificial bowls green. Our indoor facilities include a strength & conditioning gym, sports arena and performance gym for club use.”

During his visit, the King met with representatives of Ulster Rugby, the Irish Football Association, and the Gaelic Athletic Association to learn about the cross-community links that have been built through the venue’s support. The King also watched a showcase of rugby, football, and hockey drills on the outdoor pitch.

Moving inside, the King received a tour of the facilities before joining a meeting with the Police Service of Northern Ireland. According to Buckingham Palace, the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Athletic Association bases many of its sports and social clubs at the hub; and during his visit, King Charles presented the Peer Support and Wellbeing Volunteer awards to several members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

In a speech, the King said that he greatly admired “the way in which you deal, all of you, with so many different challenges” and that the police force “makes such an enormous difference to keeping so many people safe. The fact that you’re prepared to do all this, and that somehow your families understand and give you such support is the remarkable thing.

“I just wanted you to know that we owe you collectively an enormous debt of gratitude which can never really be paid enough. I certainly don’t take for granted what you all do by any means, and my admiration knows no bounds.”

While the King was visiting the Hub, Queen Camilla meanwhile paid a visit to the Atlas Women’s Centre, an adult training, learning and support centre that helps local women who need support, particularly those living in domestic violence situations.

The Queen met with those running the centre as well as key volunteers, and joined in a session of the Stitching and Sewing Group and the Atlas Sing, Sign, Strum Group to learn how the programmes provide support and outlets for the women.

While admiring some of the watercolours on display, Queen Camilla could be overheard telling the group, “I used to do it a lot but I don’t have the time now.”

In a meeting with survivors in the gardens, Queen Camilla told them that it’s important to be able to share their life stories. As she unveiled a plaque commemorating her visit, The Queen said that she thought the Atlas Women’s Centre “should be cloned” and called it a “very happy place.”

This visit is King Charles’s first to Belfast since 2023. Queen Camilla paid a solo visit last year while the King was receiving cancer treatments. The Palace wrote that the royals received a “jolly welcome” for their visit.