That handshake in Hillsborough Castle yesterday might have been a historic occasion but there was no doubt about who owned the gaff. The royal standard drooping on the flagpole signified that Queen Elizabeth was in residence. Some might contend that President McAleese has a higher claim to the place (after all, she owns a home in the county) but she was merely the guest. Kathy Sheridan reports.
The only thing we know for certain is that they actually shook hands on "the island of Ireland" (the sensitive term arrived at, by media consensus) and that there was parity of esteem in the size of the respective motorcades.
Even by Northern standards, the degree of reticence surrounding what the Northern Ireland Office called a "private meeting" verged on bizarre.
The cars flashed past the media corralled in the castle's freezing car park. First came the Duke of Edinburgh with his characteristic hand-on-a-hinge wave. Then came President McAleese, who settled for a broad smile. Last came the queen, who didn't deign a glance, never mind a wave, before disappearing in the door.
While the world's media kicked its heels for a wintry few hours, a single camera crew from the BBC (first dibs go to the "host" channel on these occasions) was admitted to film the handshake in the castle's Red Room. Even then, like a propaganda film of the old Politburo, it was a case of picture and no sound.
We had to resort to a top secret Press Association source to find out that they had a "good-natured" conversation during which the queen inquired about the President's itinerary, and when Mrs McAleese said she was in the North to see the premiere of Narnia (CS Lewis being a Belfast author, of course), they had a bit of a chat about their children.
There was no word of a press conference from the President's office until The Irish Times asked about one. Soon after 2pm, the call came that we could coat-tail on an interview to be granted to RTÉ in a Belfast hotel. Tommie Gorman was allowed to address two questions on behalf of us all to a gracious, tired-looking President.
Back at Hillsborough, half a dozen local women and a man comprised the "crowd" hoping for a glimpse of the queen as she left. They were rightly peeved. All they had seen was the royal motorcade flashing past. Twice. They had caught a rather unsatisfactory glimpse of the lady in waiting - "and she looked about 110 with grey hair and loads of wrinkles".
What did they think of the handshake? Pause. "It doesn't really matter," answered one woman carefully. "I think you have to be polite to visiting heads of state."
The man merely snorted: "You can see how much it matters by the size of the crowd."
Royal visit to South nearing - President: page 11