IRELAND'S president Michael D Higgins will officially begin a four-day state visit today, the first ever by an Irish head of state.
Higgins, a 72-year-old poet and sociologist, will meet the Queen at Windsor Castle before laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and taking part in political meetings in Westminster.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Other events planned for the trip include a Lord Mayor's banquet in the City of London's Guildhall on Wednesday and a "Northern Ireland-themed" reception at Windsor on Thursday.
Higgins will also attend a celebration of Irish culture and arts at the Royal Albert Hall and Stratford-on-Avon on Friday before returning to Dublin.
The Daily Telegraph says the visit marks the "final official act of reconciliation between the two countries in the aftermath of the peace process".
British and Irish sources stress that relations between the two countries are "extremely warm", says the BBC, especially after the Queen became the first British monarch to visit the Republic of Ireland in May 2011.
Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister and former IRA chief, Martin McGuinness, will be present for a state banquet at Windsor today, the Sunday Times reported earlier this week.
Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson, Prime Minister David Cameron and the Taoiseach, Ireland's prime minister, Enda Kenny, will also be attending.
The Sinn Fein leadership declined invitations to various events when the Queen visited Ireland in 2011, but McGuinness met and shook hands with the Queen in 2012 when she visited Belfast's Lyric Theatre during her diamond jubilee celebrations. This was seen as a sign of the party's position shifting and another historic step along the road to reconciliation and peace in the province.
-
Sheikh Hasina: why ousted Bangladesh PM has been sentenced to deathThe Explainer The country’s longest-serving leader spearheaded a ‘ruthless, state-led crackdown’ of protestors in 2024, and faces extradition from India
-
Morgan McSweeney: has he lost control of Keir Starmer’s No. 10?Downing Street chief of staff is under presssure again after a reported ‘shouty’ row with Wes Streeting
-
The rise of tinned beansThe Week Recommends Protein-packed, affordable and easy to cook with, the humble legume is having a moment
-
Meet Ireland’s new socialist presidentIn the Spotlight Landslide victory of former barrister and ‘outsider’ Catherine Connolly could ‘mark a turning point’ in anti-establishment politics
-
Believe it when AI see it: is this a deepfake turning point in politics?Today’s Big Question AI ‘slopaganda’ is becoming a ‘feature’ of modern elections
-
Taking the low road: why the SNP is still standing strongTalking Point Party is on track for a fifth consecutive victory in May’s Holyrood election, despite controversies and plummeting support
-
What difference will the 'historic' UK-Germany treaty make?Today's Big Question Europe's two biggest economies sign first treaty since WWII, underscoring 'triangle alliance' with France amid growing Russian threat and US distance
-
Is the G7 still relevant?Talking Point Donald Trump's early departure cast a shadow over this week's meeting of the world's major democracies
-
Angela Rayner: Labour's next leader?Today's Big Question A leaked memo has sparked speculation that the deputy PM is positioning herself as the left-of-centre alternative to Keir Starmer
-
Is Starmer's plan to send migrants overseas Rwanda 2.0?Today's Big Question Failed asylum seekers could be removed to Balkan nations under new government plans
-
Has Starmer put Britain back on the world stage?Talking Point UK takes leading role in Europe on Ukraine and Starmer praised as credible 'bridge' with the US under Trump
