Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla paid a surprise visit to a sweetshop to stock up on jelly babies during their tour of Northern Ireland on Wednesday. The prince and the Duchess of Cornwall - who are enjoying a two-day tour of the region - picked up a bag of the sugary delights and a packet of throat lozenges, much to the surprise of Ulster shopkeeper Gerald Monaghan.

Gerald told the Belfast Telegraph: "I asked which sweet was his favorite and he picked 'Throat and Chest' because he said he had a sore throat.

"He just had one sweet and even offered to pay, but I said, 'This is complementary to you'. Camilla took a quarter of jelly babies."

Charles and Camilla were visiting the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum when they popped into the traditional confectionary shop situated on the site.

Charles, 58, dressed a navy blue suit, and Camilla, 59, in a pale green jacket and skirt, enjoyed a tour of the 60-acre museum and met local characters dressed in historical costume.

During their visit to Ulster, the royal couple also met representatives from the charity Help The Aged, of which Charles is patron.

The charity is celebrating its 21st anniversary in the province, and had invited 120 guests and staff for the occasion.

Help The Aged Northern Ireland director Grace Henry said: "We are delighted that our patron, HRH the Prince of Wales, was able to join us to celebrate this milestone in Help The Aged's history in Northern Ireland and to learn about the impressive volume of work that the charity has been involved in."

After leaving the museum, Charles and Camilla visited east Belfast's Oval soccer ground where they met members of local team Glentoran FC and young people involved with Charles's charity the Prince's Trust.