Prince Charles arrives in Derry to meet victims of the horrendous floods in August
THE Mayor of Derry will not meet Prince Charles on Friday during the Royal visit to areas affected by recent flooding.
In a statement, Sinn Fein Councillor Maolíosa McHugh said his decision was down to legacy issues.
Mr McHugh said: “As a Sinn Fein elected representative, and Mayor of Derry and Strabane I am fully committed to reconciliation and to reaching out to the unionist community.
“I also recognise the positive contribution made by members of the British Royal family to the search for reconciliation and the need for greater understanding of the different narratives, which exist here.
“Today’s visit to Derry by Prince Charles is difficult for many families in the city given his ongoing role as Colonel in Chief of the Parachute Regiment.
“And while I have supported meetings between Sinn Fein and members of the British Royal family, I believe that meeting him in Derry is premature given the ongoing and unresolved sensitivities around the legacy of the massacre carried out by that Regiment.
“Therefore, the Deputy Mayor will deputise for me today.”
In 2016 the late Martin McGuinness met the Prince of Wales at Hillsborough Castle.
And the previous year he met Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams during a visit to Galway.
Prince Charles held separate meetings with the then First Minister Arlene Foster and the former deputy First Minister.
On Friday Prince Charles is speaking with those caught up in the downpours in August in which homes were flooded, cars washed into rivers and infrastructure badly damaged.
Charles is visiting the YMCA Derry at Drumahoe and Eglinton Community Centre on the outskirts of Derry.
Some residents remain in temporary housing after the storms hit Northern Ireland on August 22 with 63% of the area’s average rainfall for that month falling within a nine-hour period.
The resulting floods left 120 people in need of rescue and damaged 510 properties.
Prince Charles shakes hands with Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams in Galway
