King Charles showcases his musical talents on final day in Northern Ireland

The King has tried his hand at playing a ukulele and baking cakes during royal engagements with the Queen on the final day of their visit to Northern Ireland.

Charles, who was accompanied by the Queen on the trip to Newtownards, County Down, met a community of volunteers, gardeners and growers at Ards Allotments.

It was founded by Maurice Patton more than 20 years ago after he was inspired by a news story about the then Prince of Wales visiting an allotment in Scotland.

Entertainment was provided by the Loughries Men's Shed Ukulele Ensemble, who performed a number of traditional folk songs and shanties.

As Charles approached, he was offered a chance to play a ukulele and strummed along before chatting to members of the group, who invited him to their next rehearsal.

Mr Patton explained how Charles had inspired him to start the allotment more than 20 years ago.

He said: "We saw him on TV about 22 years ago when he visited some allotment plots in Dundonald and I thought 'that's not a bad idea'.

"I rang up the owners and that is how we started off. Then we had 20 plots and now we have grown to have 104 plot owners."

The King met with several allotment holders, including one run by NHS workers and another by Decorum NI, an organisation which supports former members of the security forces who served during the Troubles.

Amy Kelly, who has had a plot for almost 10 years and spoke to the King, said: "He just seemed to be really genuinely interested in the plants and the wildlife and everything we are doing here. It was amazing."

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The King then toured a community hub in Newtownards, where he attempted some baking - making a dessert for people who rely on the centre for hot meals.

The site, which is backed by volunteers, provides free food and meals to people in need, using excess produce from supermarkets and other suppliers that would otherwise have gone to waste.

Operations manager Megan Weimann said Charles helped out in the kitchen by stirring up a gluten-free chocolate cake mix.

"They were really excited to hear about everything that we were doing and really wanted to engage with our volunteers, which was great.

"The king very kindly agreed to do a chocolate cake for us.... That'll be our VIP dessert tomorrow."

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While the King was on baking duty, Camilla learned about the hub's "blind date with a book" initiative that encourages people to try new genres by taking home a mystery book.

Ms Weimann added: "The King was very happy to hear about the work that we're doing to combat food waste and support the environment and sustainability.

"And the Queen was really happy to hear about our blind date with a book project that we have in place of a book club - the ethos behind that is not judging a book by its cover."

Camilla also saw a volunteer group in the town, which helps survivors of domestic abuse, telling them the work they do is "more important than ever".

During private meetings with survivors and their children, she said: "Domestic abuse is coming to the fore more and more, it's not hidden any longer, it's talked about."

"It's only through people like all of you that we hopefully can do a lot to put an end to it all with everyone working together," she added.

Camilla wore a blue and white wool crepe dress, which she teamed with a blue scallop-edge jacket by Bruce Oldfield, accessorising with a turquoise three-leaf clover brooch.

The royal couple embarked on an impromptu walkabout in Newtownards before departing, amid cheers from crowds.

(c) Sky News 2026: King Charles showcases his musical talents on final day in Northern Ireland