Britain's king and queen meet eight-year-olds called Charles and Camilla in Armagh
By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA
Britain's king and queen met their match during their trip to Co Armagh, crossing paths with two eight-year-olds also called Charles and Camilla.
As they greeted the primary school children who had waited patiently outside St Patrick’s Cathedral, Queen Camilla noticed young Camilla, wearing a colourful crepe-paper replica of her own crown.
Standing next to Camilla Nowawakowska was Charles Murray, who was sporting a purple paper crown decorated with shiny stickers.
When the two children told Camilla their first names, she said: “Goodness me, isn’t that funny.”
“You’ve got very smart crowns on, they’re a little bit lighter than the one I had on,” she joked.
“They look pretty cool with all the jewels.”
Charles was then called over and shook hands with the two children.
The meeting took place following a short service at the cathedral involving several religious leaders.
The Dean of Armagh, the Very Reverend Shane Forster then led the royal couple towards Market Theatre Square.
Students and staff from the Methodist College Belfast, including several choristers who performed at the coronation, also had a chance to meet them.
Among the singers waiting outside were Hannah Gheel and Emily Wilson, who said they were excited to meet the royals.
Hannah said performing at Charles’s coronation had been an experience that was “difficult to describe”.
“I feel like it hasn’t set in that we were actually there, the whole thing, the sound in the cathedral and (Westminster) Abbey,” she said.
Emily said it had been “emotional” to perform.
“Honestly, all of the songs, the acoustics of the abbey and everyone singing together, it was really emotional actually,” she said.
Hannah added: “We got quite emotional after as well because it was all finished. Because we put so much time and we knew the pieces so well, so after it was finished it was quite sad.”
The pair said that the amount of practice they had done beforehand meant that neither nerves nor the countless famous faces at the event had disrupted their performance.
