King Charles III: A condolence speech laced with political undertones

As the speaker at Stormont, Alex Maskey knows how to get his message across.

Picking the right moment with the right audience is all part of the job.

Today in the presence of King Charles III and Camila, the Queen Consort, and with a massive audience looking in he seized his opportunity.

He is Sinn Féin's longest-serving elected representative and a former republican prisoner.

Today his job was to deliver a message of condolence to the royal couple on behalf of the Northern Ireland Assembly, but he crafted a speech which went well beyond words of comfort.

He carefully contrasted the Queen's leadership in helping to build peace and reconciliation with the lack of leadership elsewhere.

It was a veiled swipe at those behind the stalemate at Stormont.

In another political dig to others he highlighted how the Queen in her work underlined that one tradition is not diminished by reaching out to show respect to another.

The speaker also took the opportunity to remind the King how the political landscape has been transformed allowing someone from his background to hold the office of Speaker.

It was a speech laced with political undertones but on the surface respectful to both the late Queen and King Charles.

In an earlier exchange in a back room, Mr Maskey brought a smile to the King's face during a conversation with the political leaders.

King Charles remarked to Sinn Féin deputy leader Michelle O'Neill how her party, was now the largest at Stormont when the Speaker quickly jumped in and said "don't tell Jeffrey" - a reference to Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, who was standing next to them.

It followed a warm two handed handshake from Ms O'Neill to King Charles as she talked about the Queen's passing.

He thanked her for her kind words about his mother, to which Ms O'Neill replied: "She played a great role in peacebuilding and reconciliation, it is the end of an era."

The King also spent time talking to Sir Jeffrey, Alliance leader Naomi Long, Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Doug Beattie and SDLP assembly member Mathew O'Toole.