The eyes of the world have been firmly fixed on England and Scotland in the days since the Queen's passing, but today, it was Northern Ireland's moment to shine.
And shine it certainly did as just minutes before the King and Queen Consort stepped out of their car to greet the thousands of people gathered in Royal Hillsborough, the sun came out.
Huge crowds had flocked to the normally quiet Co Down village, some arriving in the early hours of the morning complete with their deckchairs, flags and sandwiches, to get that coveted viewing spot ahead of the arrival of King Charles and Queen Camilla.
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For Charles, who has visited Northern Ireland 39 times previously, his 40th and first as monarch marked the first visit to the country by a British king in nearly 80 years.
It came almost 70 years after Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh paid their first visit to Hillsborough Castle, the royal family's official residence in Northern Ireland.
And yet it could not have been more different with a sea of mobile phones there to mark the occasion, a far cry from the Pathé News reels that recorded the late Queen's first visit as monarch back in 1953.
In a village where royal connections run deepest in Northern Ireland, this visit was on a scale never witnessed before.
A massive security operation had been put in place, with spectators driven into the village on shuttle buses and the narrow village streets lined with metal barriers.
Rita Martin, 89, and her fellow residents from Mountvale care home in nearby Dromore, along with their carers, were among the first to arrive in Hillsborough on Tuesday morning.
"We got here about 7am and more people soon started to arrive. I haven't been here for a royal visit before so this is very exciting," she said.
"King Charles has had a lot of training from his mother and he'll excel in the years to come. She had a wonderful reign and a warm heart."
Close by was Valerie Hamilton from Kilkeel, who left home with her family at 5.30am.
"We've been standing here since about 7.30am and we're very excited to see our new King but it's a sad occasion too with his mother passing away," she said.
Liz Kernoghan from Ballymena was another early riser to secure her prime spot.
"It's history in the making really to see the first King in 70 years. I've seen him before in the province as Prince Charles so this is a momentous occasion," she said.
"We're sort of in limbo at the moment and you don't know whether to be sad for the late Queen or cheering the new King."
Among the political leaders who turned out for the King's visit to Hillsborough were Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O'Neill and DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson.
Mingling amongst them was former boxing world champion Carl Frampton, who described it as "a momentous occasion"
"Boris Johnson said it felt like the Queen would always be there. Now, we are getting ready to meet and see a new King. You can see how momentous it is by the number of people who have turned up here today," he said.
The sight and sound of two helicopters hovering above the village told the crowd that the royal couple's arrival was imminent. It was confirmed minutes later by loud cheers from those lining the Main Street as a cavalcade of vehicles swept in
The royal couple appeared relaxed as they chatted and smiled at many of those who had waited hours to catch a glimpse of them.
Connie, a corgi in the crowd, even snuggled up to King Charles when her owner held her up during the walkabout.
Afterwards King Charles and Queen Camilla walked over to view the huge number of floral tributes left at the castle gates over recent days, and as they did so, the crowd broke into applause and cheered “God save the King”. They also received a 21-gun salute as they entered the grounds.
Andrea Reid from Hillsborough and a group of Girl Guides from the village were among those in the crowd to catch the royal eye.
"We got to shake their hands so it's been an incredible day and very overwhelming for both young and old," she said.
"They had such lovely, warm handshakes and it has been very special to see them up close, a once in a lifetime moment."
There were many school children behind the barriers too including pupils from Beechlawn Special School along with their teacher Steve Clarke.
"We were delighted to be asked to come along for a live history lesson and some of the boys even got to shake the King's hand," Steve said.
"He seemed very human and down to earth with great people skills. He's been in training for many years and has many great examples to follow so I think he'll do a great job."
Inside the castle, the King met the local political leaders and received a message of condolence on behalf of the people of Northern Ireland from the Speaker of the Stormont Assembly Alex Maskey.
The King said in return: "It is fitting that we should meet at Hillsborough, which my mother knew so well, and in whose beautiful rose garden she always took such pleasure."
At the end of the two-hour visit, thousands of people had stayed on to cheer and clap as The King waved to them while he was driven off.
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