Prince Charles to visit peace centre in Northern Ireland

The people of Mullaghmore want to put the past behind them and get on with their lives following Prince Charles' visit to the scene where his great uncle was killed by the IRA 35 years ago.

Accompanied by his wife Camilla, Charles stopped at the spot where Lord Mountbatten's boat was blown up, killing him in 1979.

He also met with the mother of Paul Maxwell, who died aged 15 in the blast while working on the boat as a summer job.

Charles and Camilla also attended a church service in memory of the victims of the bombing and those killed during the Northern Ireland troubles.

ITV News Royal Editor Tim Ewart reports:

Prince Charles has visited the village of Mullaghmore where his great uncle Lord Mountbatten was killed in an IRA bomb attack in 1979.

Lord Mountbatten's boat was about 600 metres from shore when the bomb planted the night before was detonated.

• What happened to Lord Mountbatten?

The mother of a boy murdered in the IRA bomb attack that killed Prince Charles' great-uncle, Lord Mountbatten, has welcomed the prince's visit to Ireland.

The prince is to visit the place where his great-uncle was killed in 1979, on the second day of his visit to Ireland.

Mary Hornsey, whose son Paul Maxwell, 15, was killed, said: "It's a good thing that people will never forget how awful it is for a mother to lose her son. And realise the absolute senselessness of violence."

Prince Charles' visit to the scene of Lord Mountbatten's assassination at the hands of the IRA can help heal communities affected by the 30-year conflict in Northern Ireland, the country's Foreign Affairs Minister has said.

Charlie Flanagan said he hopes this afternoon's visit by the Prince of Wales' visit to the location where his great-uncle was killed along with three others would be a "time for reflection" on other dark moments for the country.

Prince Charles and Camilla will visit Mullaghmore, Co Sligo, after making history by shaking hands with Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams in Galway yesterday.

Prince Charles' trip to Ireland will take an emotional turn today when he visits the site where his great uncle Lord Mountbatten was assassinated.

Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, will travel to Mullaghmore, County Sligo, where Louis Mountbatten was killed along with three others when a bomb was detonated on his boat on 27 August, 1979.

After a prayer service for peace and reconciliation in nearby Drumcliffe, the Prince of Wales will meet some of those who were in the seaside village on the day of the atrocity, and others who pulled survivors from the Atlantic.

On his arrival in Mullaghmore, Charles will meet locals and look around the village's "peace garden" before attending a private engagement in the Pier Head Hotel where the bodies of the dead and injured were treated once ashore.

• Read: What happened to Lord Mountbatten?

History was made over a cup of tea and the common courtesies when Prince Charles shook hands with Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams. The simple gesture, after decades of civil strife and hatred, was followed by private talks. It is more than thirty years since Charles' great uncle, Lord Mountbatten, was killed by an IRA bomb.

The Prince shared a smile with Gerry Adams, who said they both expressed regret for the past, and shared concerns, especially for the bereaved.

ITV News Royal editor Tim Ewart reports from Ireland:

Prince Charles expressed his "regret" over lives lost in in Northern Ireland's Troubles during a private meeting with Gerry Adams.

The Sinn Fein president spoke to Charles about the 1979 IRA bombing in which his great uncle Lord Mountbatten was murdered.

Adams said: "Both he and we expressed our regret for what happened from 1968 onwards.

"We were of a common mind and the fact that the meeting took place, it obviously was a big thing for him to do and a big thing for us to do."

Gerry Adams has said Sinn Fein wants to deal with the past - but is waiting for the British Government to rise to the challenge.

Speaking after his historic meeting with Prince Charles, he said: "We are up for that challenge and will deal with it in a very forthright and honest way."