Handshake of history - Telegraph Throughout a good deal of her reign, the Queen's realm has had no greater enemy than Martin McGuinness. As a Provisional IRA commander, he was instrumental in devising its campaign to bomb the British out of Northern Ireland, despite the wishes of the majority of its population. The tragic futility of this strategy has been apparent since Sinn Fein agreed to enter the government of Northern Ireland under the Crown. But there was one final barrier to cross: a meeting with the Queen herself as the head of the state the movement had so violently opposed. Sinn Fein declined to do so when she visited Ireland last year. But next week, when the Queen is in Belfast, it is expected that she and Mr McGuinness will shake hands, at an event also attended by the Irish president. The republicans, for whom symbolism is of great importance, agonised over whether the meeting should occur, and should be given credit for agreeing to it. But so should the Queen. This will be the final act of reconciliation after a conflict that cost so many lives, including that of Her Majesty's cousin, Earl Mountbatten of Burma - and many will find it disquieting that she should be asked to shake a hand so stained with blood. Still, as she said on her visit to Dublin, with the benefit of hindsight, there are many things in Northern Ireland that could have been done differently, or not at all. Perhaps Mr McGuinness can find the words to express the same sentiment.