The Duke of Edinburgh met the North's First and Deputy First Ministers at the start of his visit there yesterday. He attended the Duke of Edinburgh Award Conference, which was held in Belfast for the first time.
He was greeted as he arrived at the Waterfront Hall by Belfast's Alliance Lord Mayor, Mr David Alderdice, and the Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, who introduced him to Mr David Trimble and Mr Seamus Mallon.
"We are very, very pleased to have you here, not least in the Waterfront," Dr Mowlam said. "It's somewhere everyone is very proud of. It shows a new face of Northern Ireland, a face no longer marked by violence but one marked by hope."
The duke then watched a video presentation portraying positive aspects of life in the North. He welcomed the fact the conference was being held in Belfast for the first time and spoke of the challenges and opportunities facing his award scheme as the millennium approached.
About 12,500 young people in the North are taking part in the scheme. It began in 1956 and provides young people from 14 to 25, whether able-bodied or with special needs, with an opportunity to experience challenge and adventure and acquire new skills at work, school or in youth clubs or voluntary organisations.
More than 700 delegates are attending the conference as well as representatives from some of the 60 countries currently operating the award, including Mauritius, Gambia, Australia and Barbados. The duke is on a three-day visit to the North.