The Queen and Prince Philip’s many memorable visits to Northern Ireland

That came in 2016, more than 70 years after she first came to Northern Ireland as Princess Elizabeth in 1945 alongside her parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, as part of a ‘Victory Tour’ of the UK following the Second World War.

During her last visit in June six years ago The Queen was accompanied by her husband The Duke of Edinburgh.

They spent the first day at The Queen’s residence in Northern Ireland at Hillsborough Castle before heading for the north coast where they visited the Giant’s Causeway and Bushmills village where they unveiled a statue of Robert Quigg, VC.

They met family groups before they departed for Portrush Golf Club for a reception and lunch as guests of the mayor of Coleraine.

In the afternoon The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh arrived at Coleraine Railway Station then departed by steam train to Bellarena Railway Station, where they unveiled a plaque to mark the opening of the station.

Elizabeth Windsor has visited Northern Ireland 25 times, the first as Queen came in 1953 following her coronation.

Along with the Duke of Edinburgh, the couple visited Lisburn, Hillsborough, Belfast, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine, Lisahally and Londonderry and were greeted by enthusiastic crowds.

People came out in their thousands to wave as Her Majesty and His Royal Highness travelled by Royal Train through the Ulster countryside and along the scenic north coast.

The Governor of Northern Ireland, Lord Wakehurst, declared a public holiday so that as many people as possible could see the new monarch.

She also came to the Province for the opening of the ‘Queen Elizabeth II bridge’ in Belfast in 1966, a Silver Jubilee visit to the New University of Ulster at Coleraine in 1977 and many garden parties at Hillsborough Castle.

Her Majesty and His Royal Highness visited Northern Ireland many times, often against the background of the Troubles.

During her 1997 visit – a year before the signing of the Belfast Agreement – Her Majesty met Catholic and Protestant schoolchildren from across Northern Ireland involved in a cross-community project.

In 1999 she awarded the George Cross to the Royal Ulster Constabulary to honour the courage and dedication of police officers and their families in Northern Ireland.

The RUC Chief Constable, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, said he was humbled, and spoke of “a momentous day” in the history of the force.

In 2002, The Queen spoke of her fondness for the people of Northern Ireland, saying: “A small society has borne a disproportionate burden of division and loss, and so many people, from every part of Northern Ireland represented here today, have been touched by tragedy.”

In 2011, The Queen became the first British monarch to make an official State Visit to Ireland in 100 years, at the invitation of then-Irish President Mary McAleese.

During her speech at the state banquet, which opened with her speaking Irish, Her Majesty said: “No-one who looked to the future over the past centuries could have imagined the strength of the bonds that are now in place between the governments and the people of our two nations.”

In 2012, during a visit to mark her Diamond Jubilee, Her Majesty and Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness shook hands for the first time during a charity event in Belfast in what was a hugely significant gesture.

During a 2014 visit Queen Elizabeth visited Belfast’s Crumlin Road Gaol which held hundreds of republican and loyalist prisoners during The Troubles, and is now a museum.

During the same visit, The Queen met cast and crew on the set of Game of Thrones, which was being filmed in Northern Ireland.

Following her 2016 visit, the Queen was due to come again in 2021 for a church service in Armagh marking Northern Ireland’s centenary.

However she was unable to attend due to poor health.

In May 2021, to mark Northern Ireland’s centenary, The Queen sent a message to the people of Northern Ireland which looked to the future with optimism and hope: “Across generations, the people of Northern Ireland are choosing to build an inclusive, prosperous, and hopeful society, strengthened by the gains of the peace process. May this be our guiding thread in the coming years.”