King Charles will be undertaking a trip to Ireland soon after he “graciously accepted” an invitation for a state visit, the country’s President said after a meeting at Buckingham Palace today. Charles met Catherine Connolly on the first day of her three-day official visit to England.
The pair were pictured shaking hands and smiling for the cameras at the palace. Afterwards, Ms Connolly told reporters she had invited the King for an official visit, which would be the second such visit by a British monarch to Ireland since independence.
It is understood that the King appreciates the kind invitation.
The late Queen Elizabeth II, paid a state visit to Ireland in 2011.
Ms Connolly described her meeting with Charles, which lasted just under an hour, as “wonderful”.
She said: “As President of Ireland, I was delighted to meet this afternoon with His Majesty King Charles, when I appreciated very much the warm welcome which he extended. King Charles knows Ireland well and has been a positive voice for peace and reconciliation.
“In our discussion, we were mindful of the unique relationship as close neighbours and our intertwined history, recalling the significant state visit of Queen Elizabeth to Ireland in 2011, as well as the state visit here of former president Higgins in 2014.
“I was very pleased therefore to extend an invitation to King Charles to pay his own state visit to Ireland. I am sure that he will receive the warmest of welcomes and this will represent a further deepening of our relationship as neighbours and as friends.”
The trip is her first official visit to England since her inauguration in November, when she spoke about her commitment to engaging with the Irish diaspora.
The visit will continue on Tuesday when the president visits the Chelsea Flower Show and the London Irish Centre in Camden.
It will conclude on Wednesday with visits to Leeds University and the Leeds Irish Centre.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.express.co.uk ’
