Preparations have begun with a view to extending a formal invite in the near future.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, will be invited to visit Ireland by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in the near future.
According to a report in the Irish Examiner, Varadkar has instructed staff at the Irish embassy in London to look at the logistics of a visit with a view to extending a formal invitation to the royal couple.
Minister for Tourism and Sport, Brendan Griffin, confirmed to the Irish Examiner that steps have been taken towards extending an invite in what he described as “the next generation in Anglo-Irish relations”.
The Taoiseach is believed to have raised the possibility of a royal visit with Dan Mulhall, the Irish ambassador to London, during his recent trip to Downing Street to meet with UK Prime Minister Theresa May.
It is also believed that Varadkar wants to confirm that there would be an acceptance of the invitation from Prince William and Kate Middleton before a formal invitation is extended.
In 2011, Prince William’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, became the first monarch to visit the Republic of Ireland since 1911 during a four-day stay in May of that year, the same month that former US President Barack Obama also paid a visit.
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