PRINCE CHARLES has urged the United Kingdom and Ireland to maintain their close ties whatever the future may hold.
Though the Prince of Wales did not reference the impending issue of Brexit directly, he nevertheless called on both nations to remember the “vital links between us that go back so many hundreds, if not thousands of years.”
Charles made the comments on the first day of his trip to Ireland with the Duchess of Cornwall during a speech at Powerscourt House and Gardens in County Wicklow.
“We love coming here. Whatever happens, the great thing is to go on understanding how much we mean to each other,” he said, the Press Association reports.
“If I may say so, it is such a particular joy to be able to visit County Wicklow on this occasion. To receive such a warm and friendly welcome,” he added.
“What makes it so special coming to Ireland, apart from the wonderful welcome, is being able to celebrate and remind ourselves of all those absolutely vital links between us that go back so many hundreds, if not thousands of years.
“To remind us of how much we depend on each other in so many ways. That to me is one of the great things about our relationship.
“As I say, it has given my wife and I such particular joy in the last few years to be able to reinforce those links.”
The prince was presented with a selection of local gifts following the speech, including a pot of honey and a shillelagh stick.
Earlier that day, Charles and Camilla had toured the gardens of Powerscourt House the nearby Sugarloaf Mountain.
The comments echo those previously made by the Prince of Wales during a St Patrick’s Day celebration event at the Embassy of Ireland in London earlier this year.
In the speech, Charles told the Irish and British guests in attendance: "Above all we are friends, we are partners and we are the closest of near neighbours, bound together by everything that we have in common - and by just how far we have come together.”
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