Duke & Duchess will have a Kate time in Ireland..
Royal couple hope to build ‘lasting friendships’
THE Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are “looking forward to building a lasting friendship with the Irish people” during their first official visit to Ireland.
During the three-day trip the couple will meet President Michael D Higgins, political leaders and spend time in Dublin and counties Meath, Kildare and Galway.
The visit, from March 3 to 5, will highlight the strong links between the UK and Ireland, and the couple’s programme will take in the country’s rich culture, community initiatives and spectacular scenery, said Buckingham Palace in a statement.
It added: “Following Her Majesty the Queen’s historic visit in 2011, the visit will also focus on the relationship between the two countries, and build on the theme of remembrance and reconciliation.
“The UK’S links with Ireland are extensive, and the duke and duchess are looking forward to building a lasting friendship with the Irish people.”
Kate and William’s trip, which unusually was announced in advance, is likely to be seen as a diplomacy visit in the wake of Brexit.
They are also due to whoever will be Taoiseach.
The Queen’s historic visit to the Republic was made amid unprecedented security and she became meet the first British monarch to travel here in 100 years and the first since the nation gained independence from Britain.
She bowed her head in Dublin’s Garden of Remembrance to pay tribute to the rebels who rose up against British rule in 1916, spoke Irish in an address to a State banquet and visited Croke Park, where British forces shot dead 14 spectators in 1920.
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall have made five visits to Ireland over the past five years, a sign of the closer Anglo-irish relations ushered in by the Queen’s tour.
The statement added: “During the three-day tour, the duke and duchess will learn about local organisations working to support and empower young people and projects which provide opportunities to help them develop important life skills.”