London (CNN) -- Queen Elizabeth's jubilee tour strikes an historic note today, when the British monarch visits Northern Ireland on a trip it is hoped will mark a symbolic end to the decades-long conflict there. She's been to the province almost every year over the last decade. But this visit is especially significant as it follows her tour of the Republic of Ireland last year. It was the first visit by a British head of state since Ireland's independence, and at the time, British Prime Minister David Cameron described it as a game-changer. As head of state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the queen has a purely symbolic role. But her influence - after six decades on the throne - is palpable. And her ability to mark an historic turning point unquestioned.
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Britain's Queen Elizabeth visiting Northern Ireland on jubilee tour
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During the trip she will meet -- and shake hands with -- former IRA figure Martin McGuinness
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Meeting a symbolic moment of peace between two sides of sectarian divide
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Queen's cousin, Lord Louis Mountbatten, was assassinated by the IRA in 1979
What makes this simple handshake even more poignant is that the queen is not just representing the @placeholder, she's also representing the victims of the sectarian conflict.