Charles' historic handshake hits the headlines

It has been described as a huge moment in history and a major milestone on the path of peace and reconciliation. So it's not really surprising that the handshake between the Prince of Wales and Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has made the front pages of many of the newspapers. Even titles that don't usually carry stories about the royals have placed it prominently, including the Independent.

Prince Charles met Gerry Adams at a reception at the University of Galway at the start of a four day tour of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It was the first time a member of the British Royal Family has met a member of the Sinn Fein leadership in the Republic.

After the public handshake the two men held a private meeting which was also attended by Martin McGuinness. But it is the image of the handshake that makes the front of many of the papers.

The handshake lasted for around 12 seconds although many of the photographs chosen seem to capture exactly the same moment of it. 

The Scotsman chooses a slightly different angle of the picture but joins many of the other papers in describing the moment as historic.

The Mirror, too, chooses a slightly different moment from the meeting for its front page photograph but co-incides with other headline writers by using the term 'hand of peace'.

But one thing is certain - at the start of his four day visit, the Prince of Wales has provided a moment that the papers headline and analyse for its place in history, and will do for weeks and months to come.