PRINCE WILLIAM and Kate Middleton are reportedly planning a trip to Ireland this March.
According to an exclusive report from The Sun, officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs are already in the process of finalising the plans ahead of the royal couple’s spring visit.
Close insiders have told the UK tabloid that William and Kate will take part in a series of engagements as part of a two-day visit.
The Royal couple will reportedly take in Cork and Dublin in what represents an historic first-ever trip to Ireland for the pair.
Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to visit Ireland in 100 years back in May 2011, during a four-day stay that included a visit to Cork’s English Market.
Prince Charles and Camilla have been regular visitors in the years since, with five visits to the Emerald Isle since 2015.
More recently still, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle enjoyed a two-day royal tour in what represented their first official trip outside of England as a married couple.
Prince William is said to be looking forward to the trip.
A colonel of the Irish Guards, last St Patrick’s Day, he was pictured enjoying a pint of Guinness during a Royal engagement that saw him present shamrocks to the First Battalion of the Irish Guards at their Cavalry Barracks in Hounslow in west London.
Kate and William have both visited Northern Ireland in the past, most recently in February 2016 visiting Windsor Park, Co Fermanagh, Roscor Youth Village and Belfast’s famous Empire Music Hall.
According to The Sun Buckingham Palace is hoping coverage of a historic visit by the future king to Ireland will help to distract from the ongoing crisis concerning Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s announcement they would be quitting as royals and movinh to Canada.