QUEEN ELIZABETH arrived in Northern Ireland yesterday evening for a three-day visit that also coincides with a visit to Belfast today by President Mary McAleese.
The queen was accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, when she arrived at Hillsborough Castle yesterday evening for a reception marking the centenary of the British Territorial Army, a volunteer reserve force in the United Kingdom.
Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward welcomed her to Hillsborough. This was her first engagement on a visit that will conclude with a Maundy Thursday service at St Patrick's Church of Ireland Cathedral in Armagh tomorrow.
President Mary McAleese is also in Northern Ireland today visiting Queen's University for a special ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the college receiving the British royal charter.
The fact that the two are in Northern Ireland will again trigger speculation about whether and when the queen will visit the Republic of Ireland. She is known to be anxious to make such a trip.
President McAleese is supportive of a visit while as recently as December the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, said such a visit was "inevitable", although he could not say if it would happen this year.
The British queen and President McAleese have met seven times. The first meeting between the two on the island of Ireland was in December 2005 when they met privately at Hillsborough Castle.
Prince Philip and Dr Martin McAleese were also at the meeting.
One of the key elements of this royal visit is the distribution tomorrow by the queen at Armagh Church of Ireland cathedral of the annual Maundy money.
It will be a cross-community event and joining the Church of Ireland Primate, Archbishop Alan Harper, will be the Catholic Primate, Cardinal Seán Brady, and other church leaders.
The Maundy money is a tradition that the queen has carried on since 1953. Only on one occasion was it held outside England - in Wales - and tomorrow will be the first time the specially minted money will be distributed in Northern Ireland.
The Maundy money is symbolic of the distribution of alms and Christ's washing of the apostles' feet on Holy Thursday.
A total of 164 pensioners - 82 men, and 82 women, reflecting the Queen's age of 82 - will receive £5.50 in a red purse and 82 pence in a white purse from the monarch.
The reception at Hillsborough Castle last night was attended by more than 300 guests, including Territorial Army (TA) soldiers, their families and employers.
They spoke to the queen and Prince Philip about their experiences in support of operations around the world. Among those present were some who had served recently in Sierra Leone, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as others preparing for deployment to Helmand province in Afghanistan.
The TA played no role in Northern Ireland during the Troubles and, though it continued to attract some cross-community support, members did not advertise their role.
Mr Woodward said he was delighted to welcome the queen and Prince Philip to Northern Ireland for a "visit that is an enormously significant and historic occasion for everyone".
At Hillsborough the queen spoke to 23-year-old Pte David Poole, from Woodvale in Belfast, who was injured in Afghanistan on May 23rd last year when the vehicle he was driving drove over an explosive device in the desert of Helmand province.
He said he had been very nervous before he met the queen but not as she spoke to him. She inquired after his health. Speaking to the media afterwards, he explained he had suffered fractures to his leg and back and was still in recovery.