First Minister welcomes Her Majesty The Queen to Northern Ireland

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh will make a short visit to Coleraine on Wednesday.

Peter Robinson said: “This three day visit by Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh is a great honour for Northern Ireland.

“Her Majesty The Queen is held with great affection throughout Northern Ireland. As soon as the announcement was made my mind turned to the spectacular scenes in Stormont Estate in 2012. No one will ever forget that Royal occasion.

“It is a sign of changed times that the logistics of this visit could be announced before Her Majesty The Queen’s arrival. There was a time when a Royal visit could not be reported in advance due to security concerns.

2I trust that lots of people will have the opportunity to greet Her Majesty The Queen over the next few days and express their gratitude for the wonderful leadership she has shown throughout her reign.”

The First Minister will have a private audience with Her Majesty The Queen at Hillsborough Castle on Monday evening.