THE Prince of Wales has arrived in Belfast today as part of a three-day visit to the island of Ireland.
He will be joined by The Duchess of Cornwall in the North of Ireland tomorrow before the pair continue their trip in Co. Donegal on Wednesday.
The official visit will see the couple visit a host of well-known attractions on both sides of the border.
In the North, the royal pair will host a musical evening at Hillsborough Castle where the eclectic programme for the night will include the DIT Harp Ensemble from the Dublin Conservatory of Music & Drama, The Belfast Opera, The Folk & Trad group of The Royal Irish Regiment and a performance by comedian Tim McGarry.
The evening will be compared by Radio 3 presenter Sean Rafferty.
The Prince of Wales will also visit The Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology at Queen's University Belfast - home to the Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT), which carries out pioneering work on cyber security.
Earlier this year, The Prince awarded CSIT a Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further education.
To mark 2016 as the Northern Irish Year of Food and Drink, the royal couple will also visit a number of local businesses, some of which work in the food and drink sector.
This is the Prince and Duchess's second official visit to Ireland - their first was last May.
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall at Mullaghmore Pier in Sligo last year. Photo: RollingNews.ie/ Irish Times/PoolFollowing their time in the North, the royals will head west to Donegal Town, where they will celebrate the area's heritage by visiting Magee's – a local company which has been producing tweed in Donegal for 150 years.
At the Letterkenny Institute of Technology, The Prince will meet entrepreneurs and learn more about the institute's cross border programmes.
The Duchess of Cornwall will visit a local school.
Finally, at Glenveagh Castle, they will tour the gardens and meet children who have been learning about some of the conservation work which takes place in the National Park.
The visit to Ireland by the members of Britain's royal family is being described as an opportunity to "recognise the warm friendship that exists between both countries, promoting understanding of their respective heritage and celebrating the best that each has to offer."
Last May The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall visited counties Galway, Clare and Sligo.
Prince Charles has officially visited Ireland three times before - in May/June 1995, February 2002 and again last year.
