AN MP said it was a “privilege” to express his condolences to King Charles III in person when he met him this week.

MP for Hove Peter Kyle met the King at Hillsborough Castle when he visited Ireland on Tuesday.

Mr Kyle has been Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland since 2021 and said the King’s visit was “important” for Ireland.

“I was honoured to meet King Charles at a reception in Hillsborough Castle,” he said.

“It was a privilege to be able to express my condolences and sincere best wishes for the future to His Majesty in person.

“The King’s visit to Northern Ireland was important. With thousands of people in the streets of Royal Hillsborough and Belfast, it was heart-warming to see the excitement his visit generated.”

During the visit, King Charles III pledged to "seek the welfare" of all Northern Ireland's people and described how his family have felt their "sorrows" as the Queen's peacebuilding efforts were praised.

The Argus: Peter Kyle MP expressed his condolences to the KingPeter Kyle MP expressed his condolences to the King (Image: Peter Kyle MP)

Charles, who in 2015 made a pilgrimage to the site of his great-uncle Lord Mountbatten's murder in an IRA bombing, said the Queen had "never ceased to pray for the best of times for this place and its people".

Speaking at Hillsborough Castle in County Down, the royal residence in Northern Ireland, the new monarch said the late Queen was aware of her position in bringing together divided communities "whom history had separated".

And during a Belfast memorial service in honour of the Queen, Charles continued the soft diplomacy of his mother when he met another head of state for the first time in his role as King, shaking hands with the president of Ireland, Michael D Higgins.

Thousands of people lined the streets of Belfast to catch a glimpse of the King and the Queen Consort.

People gathered from early morning hoping to gain the best vantage point from behind the metal railings along the route in the city centre.

By the time the royal couple passed by in the royal cavalcade along Wellington Place, Donegall Square North, Chichester Street and Victoria Street to loud cheers and applause the crowd was 10 deep in some parts.

People described the atmosphere as "emotional", "happy" and "full of excitement".

Many people held their phones above the crowd to capture a recording of the historic moment.