By Royal appointment ... ‘regal reps’ leaflet is launched at Town Hall

The Lord Lieutenant herself, Mrs Joan Christie OBE, was in attendance to showcase the document to the gathering of local politicians ,including Mayor of Ballymena Alderman PJ McAvoy, and photographers eager to catch a glimpse of the long-awaited booklet.

The leaflet itself is emblazoned with the Lord Lieutenant’s Badge on the cover, providing ‘A guide to protocol and a brief history’ of the position. Inside, the role is broken down and explained, detailing the duties, etiquette and forms of address.

Also detailed are the accompanying roles to the Lord Lieutenant, namely the Vice Lord Lieutenant (Mr Richard Reade) and the High Sheriff of Antrim (Mrs Julia Shirley). Both the Lord Lieutenant and Vice serve until retirement at the age of 75, whereas a new High Sheriff, who is responsible for greeting Royal Visitors to the country and providing the County Antrim Grand Jury Bursary Awards to law students at Queen’s University, is selected each year.

Mrs Christie said: “I hope the leaflet will show the community exactly how we are involved”.

A timeline of all previous Lord Lieutenants of Antrim is a key feature of the leaflet, chronicling the incumbency of the First Earl O’Neill in 1831 to Mrs Christie in the present day.

The Lord Lieutenant herself was on fine form and took time to thank Vice Lieutenant Mr Richard Reade for providing the entries of the leaflet and also gave her thanks to Mayor McAvoy and his staff for their contribution to the leaflet. The Mayor himself was also delighted with the outcome of the leaflet, commenting on his pleasure in launching the document in conjunction with the Lord Lieutenant.