There is growing expectation in the Irish and British governments that King Charles will visit Ireland as early as next year.
While no firm arrangements are yet in place, there has been significant informal contact on the issue, according to several people with knowledge of the subject who spoke on condition of anonymity.
President Catherine Connolly will travel to Britain later this month, where she is expected to meet the king as part of her official programme. It is thought a formal invitation could then be issued, though sources said arrangements had not yet reached that point.
However, it is expected by both governments a visit will happen before long. The king has visited Ireland on many occasions, both for public and private engagements, and has expressed his desire to visit again.
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The State visit by his late mother queen Elizabeth in 2011, along with a reciprocal visit by former president Michael D Higgins to the UK, were widely heralded as symbolising an era of close relations between Dublin and London.
Asked about a possible meeting with the king later this month, Áras an Uachtaráin said: “A visit to the Irish community in Britain is a priority for President Connolly and plans are under way for an official visit to London and Leeds later this month. The details of the programme are being finalised.”
However, it is understood a meeting between the two heads of state is expected.
Asked about a possible trip to Ireland, the British embassy in Dublin said: “His Majesty’s overseas travel will be announced in the usual way.”
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Charles has travelled to Ireland many times as Prince of Wales for both public and private events and has frequently spoken warmly about his previous visits. In his St Patrick’s Day message to President Connolly this year, he referred to the “visits that my family and I have had the great pleasures of making to your wonderful country”.
It is understood there were previous discussions about a visit in 2023, the year after Charles became king on the death of queen Elizabeth, but other matters intervened, including his cancer diagnosis which was announced in early 2024. But senior sources on both the Irish and British sides expect a visit will happen sooner rather than later.
Last week, the king visited Washington and New York as part of a state visit to the United States. The visit was widely seen as a success. Against a backdrop of unstable relations between the Trump administration and the British government over the war in Iran, and frequent criticism by Trump of British prime minister Keir Starmer, the king’s speeches to Congress and at the White House were hailed in British and US media reports as a “masterclass” in diplomacy.
