Royal visit: Charles pays tribute to NI cross-community efforts
By Mark Simpson
image captionPrince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, began their visit at Belfast City Hall
The Prince of Wales paid tribute to everyone involved in cross-community work in Northern Ireland during a visit to Belfast on Tuesday.
The prince and the Duchess of Cornwall visited Belfast City Hall before speaking about youth services at the Education Authority s headquarters.
He said he was always profoundly moved by efforts to deal with NI s past and to bring about reconciliation.
It is the royal couple s first visit in Northern Ireland s centenary year.
BBC News
By Mark Simpson
image captionA 12ft statue of Sir Edward Carson was unveiled at Stormont in 1933
The course of Irish history changed 100 years ago with the decision of Sir Edward Carson to stand down from the unionist leadership and relinquish the chance to become Northern Ireland s first prime minister.
A century on, his great-grandson believes it was a mixture of personal and political factors which led to Carson s momentous decision, announced on 4 February 1921.
A large statue of Carson was erected at Stormont in spite of his reluctance to lead the new parliament in 1921.
His great-grandson, Toby Carson, points out that the veteran unionist leader was 66 years old at the time.