Irish President with Sinn Féin's endorsement set to hold talks with King Charles

Dorothy Reddin
Mon, 20 Apr 2026 07:46:04 +0000

Irish President Catherine Connolly is set to travel to England in the coming weeks, with reports claiming a potential audience with King Charles could take place.

According to The Times, the visit will take the Irish President to London for the royal meeting, as well as to Leeds, a city she holds in particular regard following her time there as a student.

When contacted for comment, the Irish President's spokesman told GB News: "A visit to the Irish community in Britain is a priority for President Connolly and plans are under way for an official visit, which it is anticipated will take place in the coming weeks."

However, the Office of the President did not confirm plans for a reported royal meeting. Buckingham Palace does not confirm royal audiences ahead of time.

The potential encounter between the two heads of state would carry particular weight given Sinn Féin's endorsement of Ms Connolly during the Áras election campaign (Irish Presidency campaign), combined with her pledge to advocate for Irish reunification throughout her presidential term.

Sinn Féin is an Irish Republican, left-wing party that operates on both sides of the border with the ultimate goal of Irish reunification.

In addition, if they win seats in the UK Parliament, they refuse to sit there because they do not recognise British rule.

King Charles is the monarch of the United Kingdom, which includes Northern Ireland.

Diplomatic convention means the trip is classified as an official visit rather than a state visit, as protocol requires the monarch to undertake a state visit to Ireland first.

The most recent state visit by an Irish president to Britain occurred in 2014, when Michael D Higgins made the journey.

Mr Higgins became the first Irish president to witness a royal Coronation when he attended King Charles's ceremony in 2023, having also been present at Queen Elizabeth's funeral the previous year.

Queen Elizabeth's four-day tour of Ireland in 2011, during Mary McAleese's final year in office, marked the last reciprocal state visit by a British monarch.

Ms Connolly attended the Defence of Democracy conference in Barcelona on Saturday, an event hosted by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Brazilian President Lula da Silva.

Her participation prompted some unease within Government circles due to the perceived left-leaning orientation of certain attendees.

The Irish President's spokesman explained she had agreed to participate to "share her concern about the importance of multilateralism and democracy at this most challenging of times".

During her address, Ms Connolly declared that democracy was "under attack" and that political leaders bore a responsibility to "defend the very institutions established to uphold human rights, without qualification, following the horrors of two world wars".

She also stressed that Ireland occupied a distinctive position as "a neutral, post-famine, post-colonial republic", adding that multilateralism "must be rooted in people: in civil society, in communities and in those who advocate for justice, often at great personal risk".

Ms Connolly's earlier visit to Northern Ireland saw her clash with DUP MP Gregory Campbell over her reference to Derry rather than Londonderry.

Mr Campbell cautioned her against "rewriting the past", to which Ms Connolly replied she had come north to hear from all communities.