King Charles III and Queen Camilla received a musical welcome during a surprise trip to Belfast, Northern Ireland on Wednesday, March 16.
However, The Causeway Shantyman, the music group who serenaded the couple, exclusively told Us Weekly that they had no idea they’d be performing for them.
“[It was] very much coming into it knowing it was a VIP, but we didn’t know who,” Chris Millar, the band’s musical director, told Us.
Millar said the band were told to prepare for an important performance, and while they guessed that it was likely for someone from the royal family, they didn’t know for sure.
Charles and Camilla Visit Northern Ireland as King and Queen for 1st Time
The band played a rendition of the traditional folk song “Drunken Sailor” as shown in videos circulating online. Camilla, wearing a dark-green coat dress, could be seen smiling and tapping her hand to the music while Charles looked on.
“It was fantastic to meet both Charles and Camilla in the flesh,” Millar said. “We didn’t know what to expect, and how they would interact with us, but they were good to chat to and shook our hands.”
Millar said the couple “admired our outfits” and even asked for an encore after the first song. He described them as “personable” and “pleasant.”
The Causeway Shantyman was formed two years ago as a means of “tackling isolation” and to promote “men’s mental health and wellbeing,” in a post-Covid era, Millar said.
The all-male music group has around 30 members, who all come from different walks of life. Millar said around 17 members of the group performed for the king and queen on Wednesday.
The couple’s surprise visit to Northern Ireland’s capital city involved a series of engagements, including a whisky tasting. The couple were pictured clinking their shot glasses together and enjoying a sip of whisky at The Friend at Hand, a whisky store in the city center.
The visit, which was not previously announced to the public, is expected to last for three days, the Daily Mail’s royal editor Rebecca English wrote on X.
Later, the king will visit Newforge Sports Complex and Event Hub while Camilla will visit Atlas (Adult Training Learning and Support) Women’s Center, which supports local women struggling with various issues, such as domestic abuse, according to a press release issued to Us Weekly.
The visit comes ahead of the couple’s upcoming trip to Italy in April. During the visit, which falls during Charles and Camilla’s 20th wedding anniversary, the couple will meet with Pope Francis in celebration of the 2025 Jubilee Year in Rome.
