Royal visit: Michelle O'Neill says meeting 'not possible'

The royal couple met historians and staff at Belfast City Hall on Tuesday

Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill has said it was "not possible" for her to meet Prince Charles on his visit to Belfast on Tuesday.

In a statement, she did not outline the reason.

She praised the role played by the Royal Family during the peace process but did not clarify why no meeting had taken place.

Arlene Foster met the prince at Hillsborough Castle on Tuesday evening.

Following the meeting, the first minister paid tribute on social media, saying Prince Charles was a "tremendous supporter" of reconciliation.

Michelle O'Neill said the royal family had made a "very positive contribution to the development of peace and reconciliation"

In the past, the deputy first minister has also met the prince but she did not do so on Tuesday.

In her statement, Ms O'Neill, who is vice-president of Sinn Féin, said: "I met Prince Charles on his last visit to the north last September and recently expressed our condolences to him and his family on the death of his father.

"On this occasion a meeting was not possible.

"The British royals have made a very positive contribution to the development of peace and reconciliation," she added.

After meeting Prince Charles in September, Ms O'Neill said she felt it was important "that we engage with everybody".

It was the third time she had spoken to him.

The prince and the Duchess of Cornwall, sporting a colour co-ordinated face mask, then called in on youth workers at the Education Authority in Belfast.

The royal couple are on their second day of engagements in Northern Ireland, a visit which coincides with Northern Ireland's centenary year.

The prince and duchess toured Belfast City Hall on Tuesday.

The prince's great-grandfather, King George V, officially opened Northern Ireland's first parliament when it met there on 22 June 1921.

After leaving Belfast City Hall, the royal couple travelled to the Education Authority's headquarters in the Cathedral Quarter.

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There, Prince Charles met youth workers and young people who spoke about the impact of youth services.

The prince also visited the Belfast shipyard, Harland and Wolff, where the Titanic was built more than a century ago.

The royal guest unveiled a plaque which commemorated the 160th anniversary of the founding of the shipyard and met workers, some of whom were from families who have worked at the site for generations.

He was also presented with a photograph of his own father, the late Prince Philip, visiting the same site in 1977.

Prince Charles later made his way to Slieve Gullion Forest Park, a visitor attraction in County Armagh.

There he met schoolchildren and listened to some Irish traditional tunes as young musicians staged an open-air performance.

Prince Charles received bluebells during a visit to Slieve Gullion Forest Park on Tuesday

Meanwhile, the Duchess of Cornwall travelled to the County Down village of Hillsborough where she visited the workshop of the renowned silversmith, Cara Murphy.

Her work features in a number of art collections, including British and Irish galleries and museums, and one of her pieces is also in Downing Street.

Prince Charles later met First Minister Arlene Foster at Hillsborough Castle - the Queen's official residence in Northern Ireland.

It is the royal couple's 18th visit to Northern Ireland and their first since September last year when they visited the Ulster Museum and met medical staff involved in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic.

Before the pandemic, they had been frequent visitors to the Republic of Ireland.

It has been 10 years since the Queen made her first visit to Dublin.