Gerry Adams: Five things you need to know about the Irish republican

Ahead of his meeting with Prince Charles, here's the indispensable guide to the Sinn Féin leader

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams (AP)

Gerry Adams has long been a prominent figure in British and Irish politics.

On Tuesday, Adams, 66, will take his place as part of a group of politicians to meet Prince Charles as he begins his four-day visit of Ireland.

Here's what you need to know about the Sinn Féin president.

Refused to attend Parliament

Despite twice being elected as an MP for Belfast West, the republican refused to take his seat in Westminster Parliament. Sinn Féin has long had a policy of boycotting Westminster, and Adams said in May 2015 that "We are active abstentionists" and that in "the last 100 years very little good has come out of Westminster".

Shot at 20 times

In 1984, Adams was severely wounded after a car he was travelling in was shot at 20 times. He was fired at while on a lunch break during a trial. Despite being hit in the arm, shoulder and neck, and having three bullets removed from his body, Adams survived.

The "Disappeared"

Adams was questioned in connection with the murder and burial of Jean McConville in 1972. McConville - a mother of 10 - was one of the 16 "Disappeared" who were killed by the Provisional IRA. However, Adams - who has always maintained he was not a member of the IRA - has resolutely denied that he was in any way involved with the kidnap or death of McConville.

Adams was arrested in 2014 after going voluntarily to a police station. He was detained for four days under the terrorism act for questioning over the murder of McConville, and released without charge.

Media ban on his voice

Under Thatcher's administration, anybody who was believed to support terrorism was banned from broadcasting directly on to the airwaves - meaning that Adams' voice was not allowed to be transmitted. Actors would have to read out Adams' messages or speeches, making covering Northern Ireland much harder for journalists. Adams has also argued that it made it much harder for his electorate to recognise his mandate. Introduced in 1988, the ban was lifted in 1992.

Watch him being dubbed over here:

Adams later joked: "Some people said it was an improvement when other people were acting my voice."

He trampolines naked with his dog

To keep in shape, Adams trampolines naked with his dog, and says "the dog loves it".

"I don’t do it with any great expertise; it’s more the joy," he told News Talk. "The dog does it with me. It saves me taking him for a walk when I go away. We go out and bounce for a while."

He confirmed: "Yeah, I do it naked."