MAKING A WHIRLWIND TWO-DAY VISIT THE KING AND QUEEN SEE THE CROWNING GLORY OF NORTHERN IRELAND'S CORONATION CELEBRATIONS

Weeks after they were crowned at Westminster Abbey, the King and Queen were once again sitting proudly on a throne, only this time it was in Northern Ireland

- TRACY SCHAVERIEN

Their Majesties tried out the ornate bench, decorated with a crown, sceptre and orb, after being introduced to its designers – a group of primary schoolchildren who were among the winners of a competition to mark the coronation.

“Shall we give it a go?” asked the King, sitting down on the bench in the grounds of Hillsborough Castle, the monarch’s official residence in Northern Ireland and where the couple were hosting a garden party. “It’s wonderful,” the Queen told the youngsters from Blythefield Primary School in Belfast.

Earlier, Their Majesties had unveiled a new Coronation Garden in Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim, featuring an ornate pavilion bearing their names and topped with a crown – along with a giant disco ball.

“It’s a bit like the glitterball from Strictly,” said the Queen.

The couple were in high spirits as they cut a crown-shaped cake. “I’ll have to get someone else to tell me what it tastes like,” the King said.

They were equally captivated by a group of “dancing” trees that twirled to Morecambe and Wise’s signature tune Bring Me Sunshine, thanks to mechanical devices under the soil.