The sun shone brightly in Fermanagh as the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall attended the Secretary of State’s Garden Party at Castle Coole on Tuesday afternoon (May 21.)

Hosted by Karen Bradley, this was the first time in 11 years that the Secretary of State’s annual Garden Party has been held at a location other than Northern Ireland’s royal residence, Hillsborough Castle, and is the first time it has been held at Castle Coole.

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall were given a warm welcome on the second day of their visit to the island of Ireland.

Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster and PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton were among the welcoming party which greeted them.

Charles and Camilla spoke to guests on Castle Coole’s front lawn, where more than 1,000 people queued for the chance of a handshake and held aloft camera phones to try to capture the moment.

One woman received a broad smile from Charles as she congratulated him on the recent birth of his fourth grandchild, Archie, the newborn son of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

During the special event at Castle Coole, Their Royal Highnesses recognised some of the National Trust’s longest serving volunteers in Fermanagh, who cumulatively, have given 60 years of their time to the conservation charity.

This year’s garden party reflected Her Royal Highness’ wish to have a Cross-Border emphasis. Amongst the 1,000 guests were elected representatives from County councils on both sides of the border and Chairs/Members of cross-border bodies.