Charles and Camilla visit North as Diarmuid Gavin reveals ‘whimsical’ garden he designed to mark king’s coronation

Charles and Camilla arrived at Hazelbank Park in Co Antrim to cheers from waiting members of the public yesterday afternoon.

They were welcomed by the Lord-Lieutenant of Co Antrim David McCorkell, mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey Stephen Ross and North Belfast MP John Finucane (Sinn Féin).

They were serenaded by school children and took some time to chat with the youngsters before officially opening the gates to the Coronation Garden.

Also present was Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell, the senior NI detective who survived an attempt on his life earlier this year in Omagh.

Garden designer Diarmuid Gavin accompanied Charles and Camilla, introducing them to those who have spent recent months working to realise his “whimsical” design, which includes music, moving plants and bubbles.

He said his team had been working around the clock in recent months to prepare the garden, and described his inspiration as “whimsy” to mark the coronation as well as engaging with people of all ages. “They were wonderful – I got to spend a little bit of time with them, we went into the quiet garden with the water dancing and they were asking me where the plants came from, the idea behind the design, and they couldn’t have been nicer,” he said.

Charles and Camilla were told the special garden in honour of their coronation marks the beginning of a new green initiative for Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council.

The king smiled as Bring Me Sunshine played, while Camilla described the garden as not what she had expected, but complimented it as “absolutely lovely”.

Following the garden visit, the couple went on to Hillsborough Castle in Co Down, the royal residence in Northern Ireland.

They met pupils from a local primary school who have taken part in a competition to design coronation benches.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris hosted a brief private audience with the king and queen, before they attended a garden party and planted a tree within the grounds of the castle to mark the coronation.

DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson was among those in attendance at Hillsborough.

Sinn Féin vice-president Michelle O’Neill did not attend the event. However, she said representatives from the party would be present at events during the two-day visit.

“Yes, I think there’s a whole raft of engagements and some of our MPs will be at local events in their constituencies,” she said after a meeting with the secretary of state at Hillsborough Castle earlier yesterday.