King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrived in Belfast on Tuesday for the first day of a three-day visit.

The royal couple began at the Titanic Quarter, where they met organisers and performers ahead of the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. The festival, due to run from 2 to 9 August, will be hosted by Belfast for the first time and is expected to attract more than 800,000 people.

They watched performances by Irish dancers and musicians, including school choirs and multicultural groups, and played traditional bodhran drums. The King and Queen also met 14-year-old Seamus McClean, a multiple All-Ireland champion on the uilleann pipes.

The couple visited Titanic Distillers in the Titanic Quarter, where they met staff and learned about the whiskey-making process.

King Charles later attended an event at W5 at the SSE Arena to mark the 50th anniversary of The King's Trust. He met young people and businesses from Northern Ireland supported by the charity.

The visit follows the announcement that the King will undertake an official visit to the Republic of Ireland next year, following an invitation from President Catherine Connolly.