6:16:28 > 6:16:29HORN TOOTS
6:16:29 > 6:16:34The Merlin No.85 locomotive steams along the north coast,
6:16:34 > 6:16:36taking its passengers on the stunning route
6:16:36 > 6:16:39from Portrush to Bellarena.
6:16:39 > 6:16:43One of those on board made this same journey a long time ago...
6:16:47 > 6:16:48..the Queen -
6:16:48 > 6:16:52in 1953, just weeks after her coronation.
6:16:52 > 6:16:56Now in the seventh decade of her reign, she had chosen to
6:16:56 > 6:17:01retrace that same train journey to mark her 90th birthday.
6:17:03 > 6:17:06In all, she's made 25 visits to Northern Ireland.
6:17:07 > 6:17:12She's made these visits by plane, by sea and, of course, by train.
6:17:14 > 6:17:19At times, she's been greeted by cheering crowds and near adulation.
6:17:19 > 6:17:22At others, she's been met by protests.
6:17:24 > 6:17:27She's ruled over a changed Northern Ireland
6:17:27 > 6:17:29and met that change face-to-face.
6:17:29 > 6:17:31A Uachtarain...
6:17:31 > 6:17:34She's even been seen as a catalyst for change.
6:17:34 > 6:17:35..agus a chairde.
6:17:37 > 6:17:40And much has changed.
6:17:40 > 6:17:43Through those decades of both tumult and tranquillity,
6:17:43 > 6:17:47she has done what she does the world over.
6:17:47 > 6:17:52She turns up, smiles, shakes hands, lots of hands,
6:17:52 > 6:17:55she opens buildings, roads and bridges,
6:17:55 > 6:17:59she meets people and goes into the heart of communities.
6:17:59 > 6:18:04As she says herself, "I have to be seen to be believed."
6:18:06 > 6:18:09In this programme we'll look back at her visits here,
6:18:09 > 6:18:11in good times and in bad,
6:18:11 > 6:18:14and tell the story of her relationship with Northern Ireland.
6:18:14 > 6:18:17How did people feel about her over the years?
6:18:17 > 6:18:20Have attitudes to the Queen evolved over time?
6:18:20 > 6:18:23And what will her legacy be?
6:18:45 > 6:18:49This visit to the north coast was a trip back in time
6:18:49 > 6:18:52and, in a way, it was timeless.
6:18:52 > 6:18:56Back in 1953, the young Queen was greeted along the way by
6:18:56 > 6:19:01cheering crowds throughout her visit and in 2016, it was no different.
6:19:04 > 6:19:06The crowds still turned out.
6:19:06 > 6:19:08I just think it's great.
6:19:08 > 6:19:10I did not even imagine I would be here
6:19:10 > 6:19:12sitting just so close to her coming in.
6:19:12 > 6:19:15I think she's marvellous at what she does.
6:19:15 > 6:19:19I followed her from she was a child, the same age,
6:19:19 > 6:19:21and her dress and one thing and another.
6:19:23 > 6:19:26And she was always a gentle sort of a person. She always was.
6:19:28 > 6:19:30It's been very exciting to see the Queen.
6:19:30 > 6:19:31We were waiting on her passing
6:19:31 > 6:19:34and we saw her then passing by the window, so it was very exciting.
6:19:34 > 6:19:38I think it's quite surreal! I suppose not many people get
6:19:38 > 6:19:42the opportunity to, so, good time to appreciate it.
6:19:44 > 6:19:46She had never been to the Giant's Causeway.
6:19:46 > 6:19:49At last, there was a chance to contemplate the stones,
6:19:49 > 6:19:53even if she wasn't quite alone with her thoughts.
6:20:01 > 6:20:03Another moment for contemplation,
6:20:03 > 6:20:08100 years to the week after the start of the Battle of the Somme,
6:20:08 > 6:20:11was her stop at the County Antrim village of Bushmills.
6:20:12 > 6:20:17There, she unveiled the statue of Robert Quigg, a man she once met.
6:20:17 > 6:20:19He won the Victoria Cross for bravery during
6:20:19 > 6:20:21the Battle of the Somme.
6:20:21 > 6:20:25Sergeant Quigg was given the highest military award for valour
6:20:25 > 6:20:27after going out into the line of fire to
6:20:27 > 6:20:29search for his commanding officer.
6:20:34 > 6:20:37And, of course, there were affairs of state.
6:20:39 > 6:20:41- It's very nice to see you. - Thank you.
6:20:41 > 6:20:42- Good evening.- Hello.
6:20:42 > 6:20:45- Are you well?- Thank you very much.
6:20:45 > 6:20:47- I'm still alive, anyway. - Nice to see you again.
6:20:47 > 6:20:50- We've been quite busy.- Yes. - There's been quite a lot going on.
6:20:50 > 6:20:54- There's a lot of things happening at the moment.- Yes.- Absolutely.
6:20:54 > 6:20:56I've had two birthdays.
6:20:56 > 6:20:59For all these seeming lightness of the exchanges,
6:20:59 > 6:21:02we can be sure that in private, there was much to discuss
6:21:02 > 6:21:05because the meetings took place at a moment
6:21:05 > 6:21:09when the United Kingdom stands on the cusp of profound change -
6:21:09 > 6:21:14a different kingdom from the one she made in her early years.
6:21:14 > 6:21:18- NEWSREEL:- This was Princess Elizabeth's first journey by plane.
6:21:18 > 6:21:21It was as the teenage Princess Elizabeth that she came to
6:21:21 > 6:21:24Northern Ireland shortly after the end of World War II.
6:21:28 > 6:21:31Her first visit as Queen came just four weeks
6:21:31 > 6:21:33after her coronation in 1953.
6:21:35 > 6:21:36On June 2nd of that year,
6:21:36 > 6:21:40what was described as a new Elizabethan age began.
6:21:40 > 6:21:45CHORAL SINGING
6:21:45 > 6:21:48For the first time, television cameras were allowed to film
6:21:48 > 6:21:51the ceremony in Westminster Abbey.
6:21:51 > 6:21:55For those lucky enough to have a TV or to get close to one,
6:21:55 > 6:21:58it gave them the chance to see the Queen up-close
6:21:58 > 6:22:00and personal in their own living rooms.
6:22:00 > 6:22:03It was the most beautiful service I ever heard.
6:22:03 > 6:22:08She was so beautiful when she came up and it was so real
6:22:08 > 6:22:11and the way she made her promise to the people,
6:22:11 > 6:22:13and she's still
6:22:13 > 6:22:15doing the same thing today.
6:22:15 > 6:22:19The war was over, and long live the Queen.
6:22:19 > 6:22:24Really, really made you feel better.
6:22:24 > 6:22:28It always had been a king and here we were having a young woman
6:22:28 > 6:22:31take that and that was a big, big step forward, I think,
6:22:31 > 6:22:33for a lot of young women
6:22:33 > 6:22:36who seen this as a possibility for their future.
6:22:36 > 6:22:39But if much was made of the modernity of the new era, there was
6:22:39 > 6:22:45also something intensely traditional at play in July 1953 as the crowds
6:22:45 > 6:22:50turned out to see the new Queen and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.
6:22:51 > 6:22:54I was a member of my church's Girls' Brigade
6:22:54 > 6:22:57so we all turned out to see the Queen in 1953.
6:22:57 > 6:23:00I just thought it was absolutely wonderful that the
6:23:00 > 6:23:01Queen of England came to visit us.
6:23:01 > 6:23:03And I have to say,
6:23:03 > 6:23:06I worked in a mill which was predominantly Catholic, and the
6:23:06 > 6:23:10owners, of course, were Protestant and the owners let everybody out.
6:23:10 > 6:23:15I seen a lovely-looking woman waving at people and this really
6:23:15 > 6:23:19good-looking guy beside her, who was the Duke of Edinburgh, of course.
6:23:19 > 6:23:22And, of course, it was all over in a flash.
6:23:22 > 6:23:25But we were so proud that we had walked up the Donegall Road
6:23:25 > 6:23:26to see the Queen.
6:23:26 > 6:23:28DRUMS BEAT
6:23:28 > 6:23:29The thunder of the lambeg drums
6:23:29 > 6:23:31marked the young Queen's first night.
6:23:39 > 6:23:42The Northern Ireland she woke up to was a place with a staunchly
6:23:42 > 6:23:46Unionist government which believed that after the hardship
6:23:46 > 6:23:50of the war years, Northern Ireland had never had it so good.
6:23:51 > 6:23:55She was meeting, you know, members of the majority community,
6:23:55 > 6:23:57whether they be schoolchildren with Union Jacks
6:23:57 > 6:24:01as she arrived in Belfast at the garden parties at Hillsborough,
6:24:01 > 6:24:03and also, of course, her whole milieu
6:24:03 > 6:24:05was very Conservative and Unionist.
6:24:05 > 6:24:07So, while there was kind of Unionist euphoria,
6:24:07 > 6:24:10while the speaker of the Northern Ireland Parliament,
6:24:10 > 6:24:12Sir Norman Stronge, welcomed her
6:24:12 > 6:24:15as making one of her first coronation visits to this
6:24:15 > 6:24:17part of the Empire, at the same time,
6:24:17 > 6:24:22you had Nationalist indifference, protests, for example, the
6:24:22 > 6:24:25Nationalist MPs, you know, perhaps 15-20 strong
6:24:25 > 6:24:27in terms of senators and MPS,
6:24:27 > 6:24:30actually produced a petition repudiating
6:24:30 > 6:24:33the right of Queen Elizabeth to rule any part of Ireland.
6:24:33 > 6:24:36What seems remarkable now is that her itinerary was
6:24:36 > 6:24:40published in the local press days in advance, allowing those who
6:24:40 > 6:24:42wished to gather to get a good view.
6:24:42 > 6:24:45The Governor of Northern Ireland even declared a public
6:24:45 > 6:24:49holiday for the occasion - always a morale booster.
6:24:49 > 6:24:52- NEWSREEL:- The Queen in a steel blue silk coat, very full skirted
6:24:52 > 6:24:56and a small hat, quite close, and her hair curling over the brim,
6:24:56 > 6:24:59pearls and a diamond brooch and bracelet,
6:24:59 > 6:25:00looking so lovely,
6:25:00 > 6:25:03and the sun kept shining on this
6:25:03 > 6:25:06first official function of Her Majesty's state visit.
6:25:06 > 6:25:11And it seemed as though Belfast was eager to do its very best for her.
6:25:11 > 6:25:14And friendliness, informal and unpretentious,
6:25:14 > 6:25:16was at the very heart of it all.
6:25:16 > 6:25:17CHEERING
6:25:20 > 6:25:22From Queen's University she came here,
6:25:22 > 6:25:25where under the watchful eye of Victoria,
6:25:25 > 6:25:27her great, great grandmother,
6:25:27 > 6:25:29she greeted the crowds at Belfast City Hall.
6:25:34 > 6:25:39At the Balmoral Showgrounds, she met people injured during the war
6:25:39 > 6:25:41and ex-servicemen.
6:25:41 > 6:25:45Some travelled from Dublin in special trains.
6:25:45 > 6:25:48They made it in spite of disruption caused by a bomb explosion
6:25:48 > 6:25:51at Kilnasaggart Bridge in Jonesborough.
6:25:54 > 6:25:58Young people were bussed in for a specially-organised youth rally.
6:26:00 > 6:26:03Among the great and good at Stormont, Northern Ireland's
6:26:03 > 6:26:06then-Prime Minister, Lord Brookeborough.
6:26:06 > 6:26:10I had the privilege, Your Majesty, when speaking
6:26:10 > 6:26:16for Northern Ireland, at the homage after your Majesty's coronation
6:26:16 > 6:26:21of using the words "loving greeting"
6:26:21 > 6:26:25because I felt that that
6:26:25 > 6:26:30expressed the real feeling of the people of Northern Ireland.
6:26:30 > 6:26:37I hope Your Majesty will enjoy your visit and you will return to us
6:26:37 > 6:26:40but when you do come,
6:26:40 > 6:26:44I firmly believe that you will find in the hearts of Northern Ireland,
6:26:44 > 6:26:49a loyalty unsurpassed in any other part of the world.
6:26:49 > 6:26:50We are Queen's men.
6:26:50 > 6:26:53The Queen responded in kind.
6:26:53 > 6:26:57As your Queen, I am now even more closely concerned with
6:26:57 > 6:27:00the affairs of Northern Ireland.
6:27:00 > 6:27:04And I assure you that I shall always try to repay your loyalty
6:27:04 > 6:27:08and devotion with my steadfast service to you all.
6:27:08 > 6:27:12May God give you wisdom and faith in all your labours
6:27:12 > 6:27:15and may the future bring peace, contentment
6:27:15 > 6:27:19and true happiness to the people of Northern Ireland.
6:27:22 > 6:27:26But the pomp and pageantry at Stormont did not tell
6:27:26 > 6:27:29the full story of life in Northern Ireland.
6:27:29 > 6:27:32The state had been created three decades earlier
6:27:32 > 6:27:35during the reign of her grandfather, George V,
6:27:35 > 6:27:39the man she called "Grandpa England".
6:27:39 > 6:27:41Ireland had been partitioned for 30 years,
6:27:41 > 6:27:46had gone through civil wars, North and South, in the 1920s.
6:27:46 > 6:27:49And there had been a perpetual stand-off between
6:27:49 > 6:27:53Unionist majority and Nationalist minority in Northern Ireland.
6:27:53 > 6:27:56In fact, over those decades, you know,
6:27:56 > 6:27:59the Orange mould of the Northern Ireland state had hardened.
6:27:59 > 6:28:03It was, as Craigavon had said in 1934,
6:28:03 > 6:28:06a Protestant Parliament for a Protestant state.
6:28:06 > 6:28:09But in Northern Ireland terms, the Nationalist population,
6:28:09 > 6:28:13perhaps tending towards 40%, were really a state within a state.
6:28:13 > 6:28:15They had opted out of the state,
6:28:15 > 6:28:17except for paying their taxes, if you like.
6:28:17 > 6:28:21They had their own social, cultural, educational infrastructure,
6:28:21 > 6:28:24Gaelic games, the Irish language, Catholic schools,
6:28:24 > 6:28:26even their own hospital.
6:28:26 > 6:28:29And Prime Ministers from Craigavon to Brookeborough
6:28:29 > 6:28:32ignored the minority, except when they had to make
6:28:32 > 6:28:34concessions on things like education.
6:28:34 > 6:28:36But generally, they ignored them.
6:28:36 > 6:28:38So, the young Queen in 1953
6:28:38 > 6:28:42was visiting, effectively, a Protestant state.
6:28:44 > 6:28:48Next was a journey to the north coast.
6:28:48 > 6:28:52Security concerns meant the 90 miles of track to Coleraine
6:28:52 > 6:28:55had to be patrolled all night,
6:28:55 > 6:29:00while in Londonderry, one third of the entire RUC was on duty,
6:29:00 > 6:29:02awaiting her arrival.
6:29:03 > 6:29:07As the Royal train made its way further north,
6:29:07 > 6:29:10people strained to catch a glimpse,
6:29:10 > 6:29:13as the train stopped at Ballymena and Ballymoney.
6:29:19 > 6:29:24The Royal couple sailed by frigate up Lough Foyle.
6:29:24 > 6:29:28Derry had been central to the UK's war effort
6:29:28 > 6:29:31and its inclusion was an important part of the tour.
6:29:33 > 6:29:37As they stepped off into the city's Guildhall Square,
6:29:37 > 6:29:40the crowds were five deep, wearing their Sunday best.
6:29:41 > 6:29:45Up the road at Brooke Park, people were waiting.
6:29:46 > 6:29:49The factory girls, you see, we must have made
6:29:49 > 6:29:5480 million shirts for the forces during the war in this city.
6:29:54 > 6:29:59Some of the girls in different factories got invitations,
6:29:59 > 6:30:03when she did come to Brooke Park.
6:30:03 > 6:30:05And I was one of the lucky ones,
6:30:05 > 6:30:06because I was standing right beside her.
6:30:06 > 6:30:09Mind you, I didn't speak to her, I was too shy.
6:30:09 > 6:30:13But she was really beautiful. She is and was beautiful.
6:30:13 > 6:30:16I never saw such eyes in my life.
6:30:16 > 6:30:19We were told we were going to meet someone very special who was
6:30:19 > 6:30:24visiting the city, and we were told we had to have our uniforms spotless
6:30:24 > 6:30:26and white socks and so forth.
6:30:26 > 6:30:28But really, it didn't really ring a bell.
6:30:28 > 6:30:31You know, it's the Queen, the Queen of England we were going to see.
6:30:31 > 6:30:34It was a real thrill and I'll never forget her.
6:30:34 > 6:30:37She was just beautiful, sitting and the Duke was with her,
6:30:37 > 6:30:41and I could nearly swear she was wearing bright yellow.
6:30:41 > 6:30:43She was just lovely.
6:30:44 > 6:30:48After a final farewell from the Governor of Northern Ireland,
6:30:48 > 6:30:52the Royal couple took their leave from Eglinton airport.
6:30:54 > 6:30:57Following the fever of the coronation tour,
6:30:57 > 6:30:59other short visits would take place.
6:30:59 > 6:31:02Just a year later, Her Majesty was back,
6:31:02 > 6:31:05launching a passenger liner at Harland and Wolff.
6:31:05 > 6:31:09I name this ship Southern Cross.
6:31:09 > 6:31:13May God protect her and all who sail in her.
6:31:16 > 6:31:18CROWD CHEERS
6:31:25 > 6:31:30Throughout the '60s, times were changing in Northern Ireland.
6:31:30 > 6:31:33Nationalist demands for civil rights were growing stronger.
6:31:35 > 6:31:37There were tensions on the streets.
6:31:42 > 6:31:47Her visit in July 1966 made headlines for the wrong reasons
6:31:47 > 6:31:50when her motorcade was attacked in Belfast.
6:31:52 > 6:31:55A concrete block was dropped from scaffolding
6:31:55 > 6:31:57on the bonnet of her car.
6:32:00 > 6:32:03As the Duke of Edinburgh scanned the buildings,
6:32:03 > 6:32:06the Queen is said to have brushed off the incident.
6:32:08 > 6:32:11Apparently, she actually echoed the words, "It's a very strong car,"
6:32:11 > 6:32:14but she must have known this wouldn't have happened
6:32:14 > 6:32:16in Glasgow, or in Reading,
6:32:16 > 6:32:19but it happened in Belfast in 1966.
6:32:22 > 6:32:25The Royal show kept on the road
6:32:25 > 6:32:27and the Queen did what she came to do,
6:32:27 > 6:32:30opening a bridge named in her honour,
6:32:30 > 6:32:33with the men who built it getting the best view
6:32:33 > 6:32:37in a specially constructed stand in the Lagan.
6:32:37 > 6:32:41But the attack on the Queen's car left a sour taste for many.
6:32:41 > 6:32:44On the Protestant side, we were aghast that someone
6:32:44 > 6:32:47would actually try to kill the Queen that way.
6:32:47 > 6:32:51On the Catholic side, probably the attitude - not all Catholics -
6:32:51 > 6:32:53but there was an attitude she shouldn't be here anyway,
6:32:53 > 6:32:56she's not our Queen, so it was accepted by them that way.
6:32:56 > 6:33:02We accepted it as a real mark against the Protestant religion
6:33:02 > 6:33:04and against our Queen.
6:33:06 > 6:33:09Civil and political difficulties intensified.
6:33:09 > 6:33:14It wasn't long before Northern Ireland was engulfed by violence.
6:33:14 > 6:33:18The backdrop to any Royal visit had changed.
6:33:18 > 6:33:20The worsening security situation
6:33:20 > 6:33:25restricted the Queen's visits over the next years.
6:33:25 > 6:33:27Northern Ireland was probably
6:33:27 > 6:33:29a no-go area for a lot of people,
6:33:29 > 6:33:32because of the security implications.
6:33:32 > 6:33:35It's not the case of the Queen didn't want to go.
6:33:35 > 6:33:37The Queen probably would have wanted to go.
6:33:37 > 6:33:41But she goes anywhere on the advice of her ministers,
6:33:41 > 6:33:44and if her Northern Ireland minister,
6:33:44 > 6:33:46the Secretary of State, says it is not safe to go
6:33:46 > 6:33:50because there are security implications, and she will listen to
6:33:50 > 6:33:53the security chiefs as well, because they have a tremendous input,
6:33:53 > 6:33:56then, unfortunately, it has to be put on the back burner
6:33:56 > 6:33:58until such time it is safe to go.
6:34:03 > 6:34:05Then, at the height of the Troubles,
6:34:05 > 6:34:08she returned to mark her Silver Jubilee.
6:34:08 > 6:34:12For Unionists in Northern Ireland, that was important.
6:34:12 > 6:34:16Quite clearly that's always been in her mind, that it is important
6:34:16 > 6:34:20to remember that there are several bits of the United Kingdom.
6:34:20 > 6:34:22This was a period of enormous upheaval,
6:34:22 > 6:34:24of huge loss of life,
6:34:24 > 6:34:26of a society which wasn't really
6:34:26 > 6:34:28functioning at any level.
6:34:28 > 6:34:30And I think ordinary people would have been largely
6:34:30 > 6:34:33disinterested in a Royal visit in that period, and to a certain
6:34:33 > 6:34:36extent some would have been hostile, would have felt it summed up
6:34:36 > 6:34:39everything that was wrong with society in this part of the world.
6:34:41 > 6:34:45A 21-gun salute marked her arrival in Belfast Lough
6:34:45 > 6:34:48on the Royal Yacht Britannia.
6:34:48 > 6:34:52But the Royal couple notably did not come ashore in Belfast.
6:34:53 > 6:34:58In great contrast to her visit of 1953, security was at its tightest
6:34:58 > 6:35:02and access to the Queen was very limited.
6:35:02 > 6:35:06At Hillsborough, small crowds did their best
6:35:06 > 6:35:08to get the celebrations going.
6:35:08 > 6:35:09CHEERING
6:35:09 > 6:35:13The Duke of Edinburgh played his part at the shipyard.
6:35:17 > 6:35:19On the second day of her tour,
6:35:19 > 6:35:23Her Majesty visited the University of Ulster at Coleraine.
6:35:23 > 6:35:26Chosen because of its closed campus,
6:35:26 > 6:35:29the Queen had to be helicoptered to the site.
6:35:29 > 6:35:32Less than an hour before she arrived, there was a bomb warning.
6:35:33 > 6:35:37I was actually a young police cadet, so I was only 17 years of age.
6:35:37 > 6:35:41And there had been a lot of violence associated with
6:35:41 > 6:35:43the expectation of the visit in Belfast.
6:35:43 > 6:35:46And so there was a considerable number of police and soldiers
6:35:46 > 6:35:49on the streets, because there was all sorts of threats
6:35:49 > 6:35:52to the Queen's life, to make it a visit to remember
6:35:52 > 6:35:55with the IRA at the time.
6:35:55 > 6:35:57So there was obviously security implications
6:35:57 > 6:35:59and it was tense, very tense.
6:35:59 > 6:36:03You could actually palpably feel that in the atmosphere.
6:36:03 > 6:36:05The visit went ahead
6:36:05 > 6:36:08and the Queen used her speech to look to the future.
6:36:08 > 6:36:12There are hopeful signs of reconciliation and understanding.
6:36:13 > 6:36:16Policemen and soldiers have told me
6:36:16 > 6:36:18of the real cooperation they are receiving.
6:36:20 > 6:36:25I have sensed a common bond and a shared hope for the future.
6:36:28 > 6:36:30For all that, there were some
6:36:30 > 6:36:33who were downright hostile to the Queen's presence.
6:36:35 > 6:36:38You had almost a breakdown of society here,
6:36:38 > 6:36:41and yet you had this genteel garden party in the Hillsborough,
6:36:41 > 6:36:45and you had demonstrations in West Belfast, upheaval in Derry,
6:36:45 > 6:36:47confrontations all over the place,
6:36:47 > 6:36:49and yet almost a pretence of normality in other areas,
6:36:49 > 6:36:52you know, with the Royal yacht out off the County Down coast,
6:36:52 > 6:36:55and almost the colonial imagery of that era.
6:36:56 > 6:36:59Others, despite the Troubles and civil strife,
6:36:59 > 6:37:01still remember the jubilee warmly.
6:37:01 > 6:37:05We were put out of our home due to the Troubles
6:37:05 > 6:37:07and we were moved to new buildings,
6:37:07 > 6:37:09and that was '72,
6:37:09 > 6:37:13and then along came her jubilee, five years later.
6:37:13 > 6:37:15And I remember, we done a street party.
6:37:15 > 6:37:20Being new to that area and so forth, just making friends all over again,
6:37:20 > 6:37:24it was a great way to bring people together.
6:37:24 > 6:37:27I remember that day, with the back garden all decorated.
6:37:27 > 6:37:31And I had planted a cherry blossom tree, a stick it was then.
6:37:31 > 6:37:36If you see it now, it's huge. But I won't let anybody touch it.
6:37:36 > 6:37:38And every time I look at it, I just think, you know,
6:37:38 > 6:37:40that was planted for the Queen.
6:37:43 > 6:37:47A street party just like this one, where dozens of friends
6:37:47 > 6:37:50and neighbours turned out to toast Her Majesty.
6:37:51 > 6:37:55But when the bunting was taken down and the trestle tables were
6:37:55 > 6:38:00packed away, it was to be another 14 years before the Queen would return.
6:38:04 > 6:38:06When the Queen did come back to Northern Ireland,
6:38:06 > 6:38:09it was for just six hours in 1991,
6:38:09 > 6:38:14to present new colours to the Ulster Defence Regiment in Lisburn.
6:38:16 > 6:38:18A Royal visit was considered manageable,
6:38:18 > 6:38:20with massive security, in 1991.
6:38:20 > 6:38:23Also, of course, this followed the beginning
6:38:23 > 6:38:26of the Hume-Adams dialogue.
6:38:26 > 6:38:28The British knew that talks were under way.
6:38:28 > 6:38:32It's possible there were assurances that no hostile action
6:38:32 > 6:38:35would be taken against the Queen during that visit,
6:38:35 > 6:38:39but, certainly, it came at an interesting time in relations.
6:38:39 > 6:38:42Having said that, the Queen's speech was really to celebrate
6:38:42 > 6:38:44the Ulster Defence Regiment -
6:38:44 > 6:38:48not the most favourite regiment for Northern Irish Nationalism.
6:38:48 > 6:38:52The UDR stands for those who are not prepared to stand by
6:38:52 > 6:38:55and let evil prosper.
6:38:55 > 6:38:58It provides for everyone in Northern Ireland,
6:38:58 > 6:39:02regardless of faith or background, the opportunity
6:39:02 > 6:39:06to make a contribution to the defeat of terrorism.
6:39:07 > 6:39:13That contribution needs courage and a sense of duty,
6:39:13 > 6:39:17together with a determination - which I share -
6:39:17 > 6:39:20that terrorism cannot be allowed to win.
6:39:26 > 6:39:30Visits in the 1990s were few and far between.
6:39:30 > 6:39:32Security remained very tight.
6:39:32 > 6:39:35But then, as the peace process gathered momentum,
6:39:35 > 6:39:38the Queen herself played a part
6:39:38 > 6:39:40at some of the symbolic moments of change.
6:39:40 > 6:39:45In the year 2000, she took centre stage when she presented
6:39:45 > 6:39:51the George Cross to the RUC in a sombre and moving occasion.
6:39:54 > 6:39:58This award is an exceptional recognition of the outstanding
6:39:58 > 6:40:03contribution made by the RUC to peace in Northern Ireland.
6:40:03 > 6:40:06Changing, worrying times.
6:40:06 > 6:40:10I mean, the RUC, famous name and motto and all the rest of it,
6:40:10 > 6:40:13suddenly changed into PSNI.
6:40:13 > 6:40:16Slightly, I think, a feeling amongst many of the serving police
6:40:16 > 6:40:20that what they'd been trying to do all these years was being devalued,
6:40:20 > 6:40:26the force was being disgraced, rubbing out its mark in history.
6:40:26 > 6:40:30So, I thought that a sense of solidarity between the Crown
6:40:30 > 6:40:35and the police here had a very real political weight behind it.
6:40:38 > 6:40:39And while she sought at such times
6:40:39 > 6:40:43to give reassurance to the Unionist community,
6:40:43 > 6:40:47slowly, a relationship was growing with the Nationalist community.
6:40:50 > 6:40:54So, two years later, it wasn't just Unionist politicians she met.
6:40:54 > 6:40:58The sun was shining when, to mark her Golden Jubilee,
6:40:58 > 6:41:01the Queen and Prince Philip revisited Stormont nearly
6:41:01 > 6:41:05half a century after their first visit to Parliament Buildings.
6:41:07 > 6:41:13And while some things were the same, others were very different.
6:41:13 > 6:41:18In 1998, Northern Ireland had endorsed the Good Friday Agreement,
6:41:18 > 6:41:21voting to set up a power-sharing assembly
6:41:21 > 6:41:24and to govern by cross-community consent.
6:41:24 > 6:41:27I remember that very well, and I think this was seen as
6:41:27 > 6:41:31a Royal seal of approval for what had been achieved.
6:41:31 > 6:41:35It was seen at the time, I think, as a leg up for Trimble and Durkan.
6:41:35 > 6:41:37It was important, I think,
6:41:37 > 6:41:41a sense again of this modern Queen we've talked about embracing changes
6:41:41 > 6:41:46that could not have been foreseen at the beginning of her long reign.
6:41:46 > 6:41:50This time, the monarch was greeted not just by Unionist grandees,
6:41:50 > 6:41:55but by Unionist and Nationalist First and Deputy First Ministers.
6:41:55 > 6:41:59Significantly, though, members of Sinn Fein stayed away.
6:42:00 > 6:42:02She came in 2002 when Northern Ireland
6:42:02 > 6:42:05was really having a lot of difficulty.
6:42:05 > 6:42:08Yes, the Good Friday Agreement had been signed and implemented
6:42:08 > 6:42:11and we had the Ulster Unionists and the SDLP,
6:42:11 > 6:42:14but people on the street knew it was beginning to fall apart,
6:42:14 > 6:42:17and when the Queen came, it was, as I say, another step
6:42:17 > 6:42:19on her interest in Northern Ireland.
6:42:19 > 6:42:22The fact that the Queen wanted to speak in the chamber
6:42:22 > 6:42:24and it was blocked,
6:42:24 > 6:42:26I think a lot of people found that very hard to understand.
6:42:26 > 6:42:28This was our Parliament.
6:42:28 > 6:42:30Why would she not be speaking in the Parliament?
6:42:30 > 6:42:33I have to say, the Queen very graciously didn't
6:42:33 > 6:42:35take it as an insult, took it as a sign
6:42:35 > 6:42:38that we were moving on, but moving on slowly.
6:42:38 > 6:42:40But 2002, I think, was a real watershed.
6:42:40 > 6:42:42For the first time in her reign,
6:42:42 > 6:42:46the Queen made a keynote speech on politics in Northern Ireland,
6:42:46 > 6:42:49in which she praised the progress towards peace.
6:42:49 > 6:42:55Life has never been straightforward here, but I welcome the real sense
6:42:55 > 6:42:59of normality that has, over recent years,
6:42:59 > 6:43:03been returning to the lives of ordinary people, even if tempered,
6:43:03 > 6:43:08from time to time, by moments of disappointment and pessimism.
6:43:09 > 6:43:14You now have a better future for Northern Ireland in your grasp.
6:43:17 > 6:43:22The fragility of peace and the terrible cost when it is breached
6:43:22 > 6:43:27was keenly felt in Omagh, where the Queen travelled earlier that day.
6:43:27 > 6:43:33Just four years previously, a Real IRA bomb had killed 29 people
6:43:33 > 6:43:37and unborn twins in the worst atrocity of the Troubles.
6:43:39 > 6:43:42In an unscheduled stop, the Royal couple visited the site
6:43:42 > 6:43:47of the bomb and paid tribute to the victims at the memorial garden.
6:43:47 > 6:43:50Godfrey Wilson's 15-year-old daughter, Lorraine,
6:43:50 > 6:43:52was among those murdered.
6:43:52 > 6:43:56The town, 2002, was complete uproar.
6:43:56 > 6:43:59Timbers lying round the place.
6:44:00 > 6:44:04And the press officer, he called me over
6:44:04 > 6:44:09and said, "Would you like to get a photograph with the Queen?"
6:44:09 > 6:44:12I said, "Yeah, I would."
6:44:12 > 6:44:17I wasn't properly dressed. I had only an anorak on me, no tie.
6:44:17 > 6:44:21I said, "Could you lend me your tie to dress myself up a bit?"
6:44:21 > 6:44:23She asked where we were from -
6:44:23 > 6:44:27were we in the town or near the town at the time?
6:44:28 > 6:44:33I said that we just lived half a mile out the road.
6:44:34 > 6:44:37Well, it meant a great respect for the Queen
6:44:37 > 6:44:42to go to the bombsite and respect what I'd lost.
6:44:42 > 6:44:44I appreciate her for that.
6:44:53 > 6:44:57That meeting typified one side of the Queen's role -
6:44:57 > 6:45:00serious, sombre, reflecting her role as head of state.
6:45:02 > 6:45:04Then there is another side to what the Queen does -
6:45:04 > 6:45:08a lighter side, one that means just as much to the people involved.
6:45:08 > 6:45:11In the words of one of her key advisers -
6:45:11 > 6:45:14never forget, we are in the happiness business
6:45:14 > 6:45:18and this is what that looks like.
6:45:18 > 6:45:19APPLAUSE
6:45:54 > 6:45:57Behind the scenes, a lot goes on that we don't see,
6:45:57 > 6:46:00including soothing frayed nerves.
6:46:00 > 6:46:02I say to people before they go into the room,
6:46:02 > 6:46:06"Remember, this is one of the greatest opportunities of your life.
6:46:06 > 6:46:09"Be on your best behaviour and give it your best shot,
6:46:09 > 6:46:11"because it's possibly going to be on camera, you want it
6:46:11 > 6:46:15"captured by a photographer and you want to be doing the thing right."
6:46:15 > 6:46:18A lot of people were excited and very nervous,
6:46:18 > 6:46:21but then became terribly calm in the presence of their Queen.
6:46:21 > 6:46:26It's peculiar how she makes people feel so relaxed.
6:46:26 > 6:46:29When I walked in, the orchestra was playing up in the gallery.
6:46:29 > 6:46:35They started to play Danny Boy and I nearly went to bits, nearly.
6:46:35 > 6:46:40I said, "Right, OK, let's go for it," and I went.
6:46:40 > 6:46:45The Queen was standing and she was on a wee platform.
6:46:45 > 6:46:50As I approached her, I thought, "Gosh, you're tiny!" She was small.
6:46:50 > 6:46:52But, oh, my goodness, I'll never forget her.
6:46:52 > 6:46:54Her skin was perfection.
6:46:54 > 6:46:58She was just a perfect lady, that's all I can say.
6:46:58 > 6:47:02Even to shake her hand, I thought, "I'll never wash this hand again."
6:47:02 > 6:47:07Those in the know say the Queen pays close attention to every detail.
6:47:07 > 6:47:10The fun that we used to have in the preparation was not only
6:47:10 > 6:47:13about thinking about the flowers and the food and the wine
6:47:13 > 6:47:15and the supper parties and all of those things,
6:47:15 > 6:47:18was the arrival of the clothes, for example.
6:47:18 > 6:47:21The entourage would arrive days, a day-and-a-half with the clothes,
6:47:21 > 6:47:22with the Queen's dresses.
6:47:22 > 6:47:26She would probably be already on tour within the United Kingdom,
6:47:26 > 6:47:28so all 30 dresses would come.
6:47:28 > 6:47:3130 hats, 30 bags and matching umbrellas, and that was fun,
6:47:31 > 6:47:35just to see all of that stacking up in the hall before the footmen
6:47:35 > 6:47:37would take it upstairs to the dresser's room.
6:47:37 > 6:47:40Very little it seems escapes her eye.
6:47:40 > 6:47:44When I presented the posy to the Queen, she said,
6:47:44 > 6:47:48"Ooh, you have flowers on your shoes too," and she remarked on my lovely
6:47:48 > 6:47:52dress and how lovely the flowers were, but it was a lovely day.
6:47:52 > 6:47:55It was very nervous beforehand, especially
6:47:55 > 6:47:58when I arrived at the garden party and could see her mingling with
6:47:58 > 6:48:01the crowd, but when I met her,
6:48:01 > 6:48:06she was just so lovely and so kind, and I think...
6:48:06 > 6:48:10she just made me feel more at ease when she was chatting to me.
6:48:10 > 6:48:13Very down-to-earth, very humble, very respectful
6:48:13 > 6:48:14of the company that she was in
6:48:14 > 6:48:17and her horticultural knowledge impressed me. She talked about
6:48:17 > 6:48:21the trees around and the change from when she had been there previously,
6:48:21 > 6:48:22some 20 years earlier.
6:48:22 > 6:48:26But she put you at ease, I had a very nice conversation with her
6:48:26 > 6:48:29and it was a really enjoyable, sunny day.
6:48:37 > 6:48:41Many would argue that the monarchy always appears to be the same,
6:48:41 > 6:48:46yet it also appears that this monarch is making subtle changes.
6:48:47 > 6:48:51Part of that quiet reform was played out in County Armagh
6:48:51 > 6:48:57when in 2008, the Queen travelled to Ireland's ecclesiastical centre.
6:48:57 > 6:49:01For the first time, an 800-year-old tradition was altered
6:49:01 > 6:49:04when the Royal Maundy service was held outside England
6:49:04 > 6:49:07and Wales in St Patrick's Cathedral.
6:49:09 > 6:49:12Her Majesty presented Maundy Thursday alms to 164
6:49:12 > 6:49:16people from every part of Northern Ireland.
6:49:19 > 6:49:22Throughout these years, a relationship was being
6:49:22 > 6:49:25fostered between the Queen and another woman,
6:49:25 > 6:49:29born and brought up in Belfast, who is now the Irish President.
6:49:30 > 6:49:37They met in Belgium, in London and here at Hillsborough Castle in 2005.
6:49:37 > 6:49:41I think, significantly on the island of Ireland, for me,
6:49:41 > 6:49:43it was a very important evening.
6:49:43 > 6:49:48The Queen was upstairs resting, having her downtime.
6:49:48 > 6:49:51The Duke of Edinburgh was also in attendance
6:49:51 > 6:49:54and the President arrives at the door.
6:49:54 > 6:49:57Mary McAleese, of course, was no stranger to me
6:49:57 > 6:49:59and when she came to the door,
6:49:59 > 6:50:01she said, "A difficult one for you today.
6:50:01 > 6:50:04"Which one of the two of us are you going to favour?"
6:50:04 > 6:50:08I said, "Your Excellency, it is you. You're the visitor."
6:50:08 > 6:50:12If the Irish President could visit the Queen at Hillsborough,
6:50:12 > 6:50:15could a state visit to the Republic ever take place?
6:50:16 > 6:50:20As the crow flies, it's less than 300 miles between the
6:50:20 > 6:50:24Queen's London home, Buckingham Palace, and Dublin,
6:50:24 > 6:50:26but the delicate dance of diplomacy,
6:50:26 > 6:50:30the inch-by-inch nature of the political process meant that
6:50:30 > 6:50:34relations between the two countries had to be exactly
6:50:34 > 6:50:36right before the visit could take place
6:50:36 > 6:50:42and the Queen could travel from London to here, the Irish capital.
6:50:42 > 6:50:44A short plane journey away,
6:50:44 > 6:50:47but more than 800 years of history to be bridged.
6:50:56 > 6:51:00Prince William said his grandmother viewed Ireland as a door that
6:51:00 > 6:51:03had been locked to her for a very long time.
6:51:03 > 6:51:07Now, on the other side of that door, she looked delighted.
6:51:08 > 6:51:11There was a feeling that it would be a great relief,
6:51:11 > 6:51:13that finally this was happening.
6:51:13 > 6:51:16The Queen was in Ireland after all these years,
6:51:16 > 6:51:20after all these decades, centuries indeed of her predecessors coming,
6:51:20 > 6:51:23but it went much better than even they could have hoped.
6:51:23 > 6:51:25One, was the length of the visit.
6:51:25 > 6:51:27That was quite of concern at the start,
6:51:27 > 6:51:30that, "Oh, my God, she's going to be around for all these days
6:51:30 > 6:51:31"and it won't work,"
6:51:31 > 6:51:35but she took a punt on it, Buckingham Palace did, and
6:51:35 > 6:51:38that the length of the love-in would last that long and it did,
6:51:38 > 6:51:40and second was the love-in itself.
6:51:40 > 6:51:45I mean, it wasn't out of control or gushing.
6:51:45 > 6:51:47It was actually quite measured
6:51:47 > 6:51:52and I think people were genuinely moved that the British monarch
6:51:52 > 6:51:54had come to Ireland on a message and mission
6:51:54 > 6:51:56of healing and reconciliation.
6:51:57 > 6:52:00Expectations couldn't have been higher.
6:52:00 > 6:52:03Every event was laden with symbolism.
6:52:03 > 6:52:06Every moment breaking old taboos.
6:52:07 > 6:52:08From the laying of a wreath
6:52:08 > 6:52:11by the Queen at the Garden of Remembrance...
6:52:12 > 6:52:14..the Republic's monument
6:52:14 > 6:52:17to those who fought in the battle for the country's independence...
6:52:18 > 6:52:19..to her visit to Irelandbridge,
6:52:19 > 6:52:22to honour the Irish dead of the Great War...
6:52:23 > 6:52:27..to her trip to Croke Park, the home of Gaelic games.
6:52:30 > 6:52:34At a state banquet held in the Queen's honour in Dublin Castle,
6:52:34 > 6:52:37she opened her address with a greeting in Irish to the obvious
6:52:37 > 6:52:39joy of the Irish President.
6:52:39 > 6:52:41A Uachtarain...
6:52:42 > 6:52:45..agus a chairde.
6:52:45 > 6:52:46Wow!
6:52:48 > 6:52:52But the speech soon turned to the pain of the past...
6:52:53 > 6:52:57..something Elizabeth II understands very well,
6:52:57 > 6:53:00because it had touched her own family in 1979.
6:53:05 > 6:53:10Lord Mountbatten, her cousin and Prince Philip's uncle,
6:53:10 > 6:53:13was murdered by the IRA in County Sligo.
6:53:13 > 6:53:14The former First Sea Lord
6:53:14 > 6:53:19and three others were killed in a bomb explosion on their boat.
6:53:19 > 6:53:24And so on that evening in Dublin in 2011, she reflected on a long
6:53:24 > 6:53:27and troubled history.
6:53:27 > 6:53:31With the benefit of historical hindsight,
6:53:31 > 6:53:37we can all see things which we would wish had been done differently
6:53:37 > 6:53:39or not at all.
6:53:39 > 6:53:43It is a sad and regrettable reality that through
6:53:43 > 6:53:46the history, our islands have experienced more
6:53:46 > 6:53:51than their fair share of heartache, turbulence and loss.
6:53:53 > 6:53:58These events have touched us all, many of us personally,
6:53:58 > 6:54:00and are a painful legacy.
6:54:02 > 6:54:05We could never forget those who have died or been injured
6:54:05 > 6:54:06and their families.
6:54:08 > 6:54:13The Queen's visit closed the circle on centuries of distrust,
6:54:13 > 6:54:16of mutual dislike and division.
6:54:17 > 6:54:18She brought respect,
6:54:18 > 6:54:21she gave respect to the Republic as it developed
6:54:21 > 6:54:25and the relationship between the two islands, and I think it was,
6:54:25 > 6:54:29yeah, the closing of the circle, a large healing and a normalisation.
6:54:29 > 6:54:32So that she as monarch in Britain, United Kingdom,
6:54:32 > 6:54:38Ireland as an adjoining part of next door could move on into a new future
6:54:38 > 6:54:41and leave some of the animosities of the past behind.
6:54:41 > 6:54:45I go to Dublin quite often, I sit on the British Irish Parliamentary
6:54:45 > 6:54:47Assembly, and they still talk about it
6:54:47 > 6:54:50as if it was the one big event in their lives, that the
6:54:50 > 6:54:54British Queen came, and again, Mary McAleese was present
6:54:54 > 6:54:59and Martin, and I just think it was another part of the jigsaw
6:54:59 > 6:55:03being put in place. The very fact that she spoke in Irish.
6:55:03 > 6:55:06The very fact that she took the trouble to do it, I think
6:55:06 > 6:55:09showed how interested she was that the North
6:55:09 > 6:55:13and South should become good friends and she's been a key factor in that.
6:55:13 > 6:55:17Yes, she said, perhaps people will say she was only being used,
6:55:17 > 6:55:20and I think the Queen's aware of many times she's being used
6:55:20 > 6:55:25that way, but as our Queen, she's happy to do that for her people.
6:55:27 > 6:55:31From Silver to Golden to Diamond Jubilee,
6:55:31 > 6:55:352012 was another milestone year for the Queen and Northern Ireland.
6:55:39 > 6:55:43Church bells and cheers heralded the Royal entrance in Enniskillen
6:55:43 > 6:55:46for a service at St Macartin's Church of Ireland Cathedral.
6:55:46 > 6:55:49Thanksgiving for 60 years of service.
6:55:53 > 6:55:56A further sign of bridge-building,
6:55:56 > 6:55:59the Queen stepped across the road to St Michael's, entering,
6:55:59 > 6:56:03for the first time, a Catholic Church on the island of Ireland.
6:56:05 > 6:56:10The historic firsts continued with a handshake between Her Majesty
6:56:10 > 6:56:12and former IRA commander Martin McGuinness.
6:56:12 > 6:56:17Just four seconds, but heavy with symbolic power.
6:56:17 > 6:56:20It was incredibly difficult to anybody who has lost a loved
6:56:20 > 6:56:24one, to meet with somebody who is the embodiment of the people who
6:56:24 > 6:56:27were involved in the killing of your loved one.
6:56:27 > 6:56:29The Queen is no different.
6:56:29 > 6:56:32She's a human being with human feelings like anybody else
6:56:32 > 6:56:36and she carries herself in an incredibly different way,
6:56:36 > 6:56:38but I have no doubt that as an individual,
6:56:38 > 6:56:41all of those thoughts about Lord Louis Mountbatten were going through
6:56:41 > 6:56:44her head, the same as it would've anybody on a similar day,
6:56:44 > 6:56:46of anybody who had lost a loved one,
6:56:46 > 6:56:49so I have no doubt that it had a huge impact on her.
6:56:49 > 6:56:50She did it. She did it.
6:56:50 > 6:56:54I think she's enormously dutiful and I would imagine that
6:56:54 > 6:56:57this had been very carefully discussed
6:56:57 > 6:57:00among Royal and political circles but, you know,
6:57:00 > 6:57:04I think she wanted, at the end of the day, to make a healing gesture.
6:57:04 > 6:57:08For someone like Martin McGuinness to meet the Queen in those
6:57:08 > 6:57:10circumstances, in Belfast,
6:57:10 > 6:57:12in his role as Deputy First Minister
6:57:12 > 6:57:14was clearly a major development.
6:57:14 > 6:57:17Others have met the Queen, Irish presidents have met the Queen
6:57:17 > 6:57:20down the years and that had helped to pave the way for that visit,
6:57:20 > 6:57:23but for someone who wasn't just in the broad Nationalist tradition
6:57:23 > 6:57:26but from Sinn Fein, and someone with Martin McGuinness's
6:57:26 > 6:57:29particular background, that's clearly a big deal.
6:57:31 > 6:57:35Back at the seat of power, this time in an open-top car.
6:57:39 > 6:57:42Two years later, meetings between the monarch and the Republican
6:57:42 > 6:57:48Deputy First Minister are, if not the norm, then, well, normal.
6:57:48 > 6:57:51- How are you keeping?- Fine, thank you very much.- Nice to see you.
6:57:51 > 6:57:53Very glad to be back again here.
6:57:56 > 6:57:58And so to 2016,
6:57:58 > 6:58:02a year that marks two significant centenaries on this island,
6:58:02 > 6:58:06that of the Easter Rising and of the sacrifice at the Somme.
6:58:06 > 6:58:10And thoughts of times past may well have been in the minds of the Royal
6:58:10 > 6:58:14couple as they completed their train ride along the north coast,
6:58:14 > 6:58:18a journey they first undertook in 1953.
6:58:18 > 6:58:20This time they were accompanied by local
6:58:20 > 6:58:24schoolchildren as they travelled that route to Bellarena,
6:58:24 > 6:58:27where the Queen officially opened the new train station.
6:58:30 > 6:58:33So, six decades after she first arrived here as monarch,
6:58:33 > 6:58:37the Queen has revisited her journey along the north coast
6:58:37 > 6:58:40and in the sweep of years between those two visits,
6:58:40 > 6:58:42so much has changed.
6:58:42 > 6:58:45Northern Ireland is a very different place to the one she saw
6:58:45 > 6:58:50in 1953. Devolution has reshaped the United Kingdom and in the wake of
6:58:50 > 6:58:55the referendum on Europe, the pace of change looks sure to accelerate.
6:58:55 > 6:58:59There are those who will argue that one thing remains constant -
6:58:59 > 6:59:01Queen Elizabeth II.