Sinn Féin will need to balance expressions of condolence with democratic principles that repudiate the monarchy. Unionists will need to address any concern that the death of Queen Elizabeth II has further eroded the UK’s frayed ties. Such nuances are expected to remain unspoken during a reception at Hillsborough Castle in County Down and a memorial service for the Queen at St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast, after which the King and Camilla, the Queen Consort, are scheduled to a short walk before flying to England. The King is no stranger to the political dynamics of Northern Ireland. As prince he made 39 official visits to the region, reassuring unionists that it was a beloved part of the UK while reaching out to republicans, notably in a 2015 handshake with Gerry Adams. Sinn Féin was the mouthpiece of the IRA during the Troubles and cheered for the assassination of Lord Mountbatten, who was blown up with his family in 1979. Now Northern Ireland’s largest party and increasingly seen as a government-in-waiting in the Republic of Ireland, seeks to reflect the gloomy public mood. The then Prince of Wales shakes hands with Gerry Adams in 2015. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA Last week, party leaders expressed their sadness at the Queen’s death and an email to campaigners urged them to be careful about social media posts, a coded plea not to rejoice. Michelle O’Neill, the party’s first ministerial candidate, will attend the Hillsborough reception because she is due to honor the Queen. The party has said, however, that it will not take part in events marking Charles’ accession to the throne. A party rooted in a violent campaign against the “powers of the crown” risks alienating its supporters if it strays too far from democratic ideals and rhetoric. When the Guardian asked people in Falls Road what they thought of the new King, responses ranged from shrugs to eye rolls. Alex Maskey, a former IRA prisoner who is now Speaker of the Stormont assembly, will embody the discrepancy. As Sinn Féin’s first mayor of Belfast, he is an old republican and has long been a hated figure for unionists, yet it falls to him to deliver Northern Ireland’s official condolence message to the King in the throne room at Hillsborough Castle. He will know a quandary from Seamus Heaney – a response to Heaney’s inclusion in an anthology of British poets in 1983 – often quoted by Irish nationalists: “Mind my passport is green/None of our glasses ever rose/To the toast of queen”. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Unionists, by contrast, will loudly proclaim their faith in a new monarch who embodies their British identity. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and others have expressed their support for the King. The loss of the Queen and the continuity she represented comes at a time when Northern Ireland’s place in the union faces many challenges, including the post-Brexit Irish Sea border, Catholics expected to outnumber Protestants for the first time and political upsurge of Sinn Fein on both sides of the border. Charles does not carry the same assurance that the UK will remain united, said one mourner, a woman in her 60s, who laid a wreath at Hillsborough Castle. “I don’t think we’re safe under Charles, I don’t think the union is that safe.” Alex Kane, a pro-union commentator, said the monarchy would continue with King Charles. “As a nation we will gather our thoughts and continue to remember her with respect and gratitude,” he wrote in the Belfast Telegraph. “But right now, something is different. Very different. And, again for reasons I can’t really explain, this upsets me a lot more than I expected.”
