Difficult moment: Former IRA commander Mr McGuiness (left) shook hands with the Queen, whose cousin Lord Mountbatten (right) was assassinated by the IRA in 1979
Close: Princess Elizabeth dances with Lord Mountbatten during a fundraising dinner at the Savoy Hotel in London in 1951, the year before her Coronation
Atrocity: Emergency workers recover Lord Mountbatten's body from the wreckage of his fishing boat off the north-west coast of Ireland in August 1979
Funeral: The coffin of Lord Mountbatten is carried into Westminster Abbey in September 1979
Grim-faced: A devastated Queen and Prince Philip watch as Lord Mountbatten's coffin is carried into Westminster Abbey
QUEEN'S APPLE GREEN DRESS PAYS TRIBUTE TO IRISH HOSTS
The Queen today paid tribute to her Irish hosts as she chose a bright green dress and coat for her meeting with Martin McGuinness.
Her apple green outfit, a dress, hat and matching coat decorated with gold embroidery, was designed expressly for the visit by her in-house couturier Angela Kelly.
One of the Queen's most trusted aides, Kelly has worked for the Queen for 20 years and now holds the lofty title of Personal Assistant, Adviser and Curator to Her Majesty the Queen (Jewellery, Insignias and Wardrobe).
Politically, the Queen's choice of outfit was a wise one, given the sensitive nature of her visit.
The monarch's sartorial nod to the nation's colour echoed similar moments in May last year, when she was seen on two separate occasions wearing vivid green outfits during a four day relationship-building state visit to the Republic of Ireland.
In one of the most dramatic moments the Queen laid a wreath in Dublin’s Garden of Remembrance which honours the generations of republicans who died fighting British rule in Ireland.
There was also a royal visit to Croke Park, the 80,000 seater stadium that is the headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association.
And at a special banquet in her honour the Queen also impressed observers by speaking in Irish.
The cultural gestures - seen as public displays of respect to the Gaelic language and sports that her predecessors had historically sought to curb - had a major impact across Ireland.
And in a carefully crafted address the Queen went even further by expressing her wish that Ireland’s troubled history with Britain could have been different. The Queen's current visit is her 20th trip to Northern Ireland.
Peter Sheridan, chief executive of Co-operation Ireland, a charity which promotes peace in Northern Ireland and the Republic, said the gesture would alter things irrevocably.
He said: 'From my perspective it’s a huge act of reconciliation, you cannot underestimate how important this is.
'Whoever would have thought we would ever be in this situation - I think it says a lot about healing, human dignity and treating each other with respect.
'I think after today all of us will say things have changed - for me that’s the significance of it.'
The Queen is joint patron of Co-operation Ireland along with President Higgins.
After her historic meeting with Mr McGuinness, the Queen spent half an hour touring the Titanic Belfast visitor centre near where the famous liner was built.
It tells the story of the vessel's construction, journey and North Atlantic sinking, in which more than 1,500 people died, in April 1912 on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York.
The design of the six-storey building is based on the bow of the Titanic and has been built right beside the slipway where the liner was floated in 1911.
The royal couple this afternoon visited Stormont for a garden party attended by 22,000 guests in the grounds.
There was jubilation in the Stormont estate as the Queen paraded in an open-top car in front of 20,000 well-wishers.
The crowd was thick with union flags and a thousand cameras flashed as the apple-green dressed monarch and Duke of Edinburgh waved, smiled and took a brief walk to greet cheering crowds.
It marked the end of Northern Ireland`s two-day Diamond Jubilee celebration at the home of the regional power-sharing parliament and under the nose of a statue symbolising decades of political unionism.
Stormont has been the stage for political demonstrations and rallies for decades but more recently has featured pop concerts and even Gaelic Athletic Association events.
Today the Queen was greeted by Democratic Unionist Stormont First Minister Peter Robinson, and his wife Iris, who exchanged warm words with the monarch and Duke.
Star attraction: The royal couple arrive at Stormont this afternoon for an open-air party with 20,000 guests
Popular: Thousands of people lined the road as the Queen and Prince Phillip arrived at Stormont
There had been slight problems earlier with the volume of people trying to get to the Stormont estate and the gates had to be kept open a little later to allow access. There were reports of park and ride buses struggling to make it through the traffic as roads around the site filled.
The crowd waited hours in relatively warm temperatures, with the special guest running slightly behind schedule because she had so many people to meet at her previous engagement, but she emerged suddenly from the gates of Stormont House clutching a railing in a dark red-coloured vehicle sporting the r oyal standard to waves of applause and people racing to security barriers to see her.
Among those clapping were Richard Gilpin, 78, from Ballymena in Co Antrim. The ex-army man said he had been proud to serve in the Crown forces and was glad to witness today`s festivities.
'I have waited a long time to see this, it is a smashing tribute to our monarch, she means so much to us as our Queen, she represents the nation and we are delighted to have her here,' he said.
Celebration: Crowds line the 'Mile" on Stormont Estate as the Queen's motorcade leaves following a Diamond Jubilee event
He said the Martin McGuinness handshake was a moment of forgiveness.
'It is a real sign of changed times in Northern Ireland. She is our Queen and she is gracious enough to do what once was impossible,' he said.
The Queen was taken in a cavalcade of black Range Rovers down the Prince of Wales Avenue at a snail`s pace as children lifted high by their parents craned their necks for a view.
Two Lambeg drummers, another symbol of unionism, pounded out their noisy salute as the group prepared to leave the estate.
The Queen departed by plane shortly afterwards.
Despite today's celebrations, there was unrest in the Broadway area of Belfast last night as a number of police officers were injured during an attack by a gang of around 100 missile-throwing youths.
The attack saw around 21 petrol bombs and a variety of other missiles hurled at the authorities.
Earlier in the day, one person was injured during another disturbance in the west Belfast area.
Republicans had erected an Irish flag and a sign which said 'Eriu is our Queen' on Black Mountain.
Police said they believed the disorder in Broadway was caused by individuals trying to take advantage of the tensions in the Black Mountain area.
The Queen began her ground-breaking trip yesterday. Her arrival was briefly delayed as her plane from London to Enniskillen had to be diverted to Belfast because of poor weather.
She arrived slightly late in County Fermanagh by helicopter yesterday morning.
But the conditions did not deter people turning out in their thousands to greet her as she and Prince Philip travelled into the town by car for a service of thanksgiving at Enniskillen Cathedral.
Great anticipation: Crowds line the road to Stormont, the hilltop base for the power-sharing government
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