Varadkar looks forward to welcoming King to Ireland as he attends coronation

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he looks forward to hosting the King in Ireland.

Mr Varadkar and president Michael D Higgins are attending the coronation service in Westminster Abbey in London.

They also attended a reception at Buckingham Palace on Friday and spoke to Charles and members of the UK Government.

The Taoiseach said: “King Charles and Queen Camilla are long-standing friends of Ireland and King Charles has visited regularly in the past two decades, supporting good bilateral relations, co-operation, peace and reconciliation.

“I expressed my hope that his regular visits will continue into his reign.

“I was pleased to accept the invitation to attend the coronation, alongside President Higgins, symbolising the close neighbourly relations between our two countries.

“This is a historic moment for the British people, for the realm, and for their friends around the world.”

Mr Varadkar added: “We have deep political, economic, cultural, and personal links with Britain, which provided a welcome home to so many of our citizens for generations.

“A vibrant British community actively contributes to life in Ireland in so many ways.

“And, of course, there are many people, in the north especially, who are both British and Irish.

“As we mark the coronation of King Charles III, I look forward to further strengthening British-Irish relations and the friendship between our peoples and look forward to welcoming the royal couple to Ireland in due course.”

Mr Higgins is the first Irish head of state to attend a coronation.

To mark the event, Mr Higgins and and his wife Sabina requested the Tree Council of Ireland plant a native Irish oak tree in the woodland forest of Aurora in Co Wicklow.

The gesture was to acknowledge the King’s commitment to environmental sustainability.