Northern Ireland public’s royal family snaps go on display in Hillsborough Castle exhibition

‘Life Through A Royal Lens’ opens tomorrow (June 1) as part of the Belfast Photo Festival and features 18 photographs submitted by the public who have captured royal visits to Northern Ireland.

It comprises amateur photography alongside the work of world-renowned photographers including Norman Parkinson, Annie Leibovitz and Cecil Beaton, who have all photographed members of the Royal Family over the years.

Images include some which were taken by members of the public who were invited to royal garden parties held at Hillsborough Castle over the years, including The Prince and Princess of Wales in 2016, Prince Harry in 2017 and HM King Charles in 2018.

A photograph taken on September 13, 2022 shows the streets of Royal Hillsborough packed with people hoping to catch a glimpse of The King, as he made his first visit as Monarch to Northern Ireland. An image taken on the same day shows King Charles and Queen Camilla looking at the floral tributes left in honour of the late Queen Elizabeth II outside Hillsborough Castle, while another shows The King waving to the crowds at St Anne’s Cathedral, where a service of reflection was being held for his mother.

Other photographs feature Prince Edward in 2020 at a Lisburn foodbank, Princess Anne signing the visitor’s book at the Agricultural Research Institute in Hillsborough in 1982, one of King Charles, then Prince of Wales, meeting crowds at Belfast City Hospital in 1996, and an image of Queen Elizabeth II waving to crowds as she entered St George’s Market in Belfast in 2014.

Laura McCorry, head of Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, said: “We are so grateful to all of our amateur photographers for sending us their cherished photographs of the royal family, some of which have been captured at a moment’s notice, and others which hold dear and treasured memories.

“These candid photographs really connect the royal family with the public in Northern Ireland.

"Our team has thoroughly enjoyed looking through them and reading their individual stories and look forward to seeing these images alongside the work of world-renowned photographers to truly bring life to the story of royal image making at the exhibition.”