Katie Byrne draws up an itinerary for Harry and Meghan’s Dublin mini-moon
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are reportedly planning a two-day trip to Dublin this summer. Katie Byrne draws up an itinerary for the newlyweds
We quivered when he lifted her veil. We swooned when they kissed on the chapel steps. We pored over every tiny detail that emerged from their wedding reception.
We feel like we know Meghan Markle and Prince Harry after attending the royal wedding from the comfort of our couches. Now we may be getting the chance to see the newlyweds in the f lesh.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as they are now known, have reportedly planned a mini-moon in Ireland this summer. The couple will spend a night in Dublin in July before travelling further afield.
It’s a smart move: a little like dropping a slice of wedding cake into the next-door neighbours that didn’t get an invite to your nuptials — just to keep them sweet.
And besides, Harry and Meghan know that us Irish are sweet on them. This is a chance for them to seize momentum, strengthen Anglo-Irish relations and roadtest the ultimate Brexit diversion.
Harry has never visited Dublin before. The welltravelled Prince has been to Belize, Brazil and Botswana but has yet to discover the slightly-less-exotic climes of Booterstown and Bluebell.
This won’t be his first visit to the Emerald Isle, though. He and his then-fiancée made a whistle-stop trip to Belfast back in March. They ate stew, drank Guinness and surprised 2,000 schoolchildren with an unannounced visit.
Perhaps the Northern Irish trip gave Harry a grá for the Emerald Isle, or perhaps Meghan is eager to get back to the capital and her Irish roots. (The actress claims Irish ancestry, of course.)
Meghan was in Dublin in 2013 to speak to Trinity College Dublin’s philosophical society and to collect the Bram Stoker entertainment award.
She also paid a visit to the Guinness Storehouse where she learned how to pour a pint with
Xposé’s Lisa Cannon before doing a meet-andgreet in Dublin nightclub Dicey’s that night. Apparently she was promoting their €2 drinks deal.
The actress had more serious business to attend to when she visited Dublin the following year for the One Young World summit. Her involvement with the youth leadership forum brought her to conferences around the world and introduced her to plenty of A-listers and international dignitaries, including Ali Hewson, who she met during the Dublin summit, and former Irish president Mary Robinson, who she met during the Ottawa summit in 2016.
These aren’t the Duchess of Sussex’s only Irish friends. She’s also pals with golfer Rory McIlroy and hotelier John Fitzpatrick, who’ll no doubt be getting their little black books out to give the couple some suggestions for their mini-moon itinerary.
Accommodation is the first consideration. Meghan and Harry seem like the type of couple who would happily place a do-not-disturb sign on a room in The Dean, before watching The Crown on Netflix for the better part of the weekend.
Alas, a dirty weekend is unlikely for these two love birds. They’ll probably check into the €7,500-a-night, 1,530sqft Princess Grace