Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and President Michael D Higgins attend Buckingham Palace reception before King Charles’ coronation

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and President Michael D Higgins attended a reception at Buckingham Palace on Friday evening and met with King Charles ahead of his coronation. Both leaders were invited to the coronation ceremony where they will be among the guests. At the reception, they also spoke with members of the British government, the royal family, and other international heads of state and government. Varadkar expressed his hope that King Charles would continue to visit Ireland as he had done in the past two decades, supporting bilateral relations, cooperation, peace, and reconciliation. He welcomed the opportunity to attend the coronation alongside President Higgins, symbolizing the close neighborly relations between Ireland and Britain. Varadkar also emphasized the deep political, economic, cultural, and personal links between the two countries and looked forward to further strengthening the friendship between the peoples. The coronation of King Charles III is a historic moment for the British people, the realm, and their friends around the world, and Varadkar hopes to welcome the royal couple to Ireland in due course.