Britain hosts first state visit of Irish President
- 10 years ago
ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)
STORY: Irish President Michael Higgins became Ireland's first head of state on Tuesday (April 8) to make a state visit to Britain, crowning a big improvement in historically fraught relations between Dublin and its former colonial master.
Higgins arrived for lunch at Windsor Castle with the 87-year-old Queen in a horse-drawn carriage as a guard of honor played the British and Irish national anthems.
His trip follows a historic visit by the Queen to the Irish Republic in 2011, the first by a British monarch since Dublin won its independence from London in 1921.
Higgins, whose office is largely ceremonial, was due to address both houses of Britain's parliament later on Tuesday, a privilege only accorded to a few foreign leaders including Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama.
In a sign of how far relations have progressed, former Irish Republican Army (IRA) guerrilla chief Martin McGuinness will join Higgins at many events, includ
STORY: Irish President Michael Higgins became Ireland's first head of state on Tuesday (April 8) to make a state visit to Britain, crowning a big improvement in historically fraught relations between Dublin and its former colonial master.
Higgins arrived for lunch at Windsor Castle with the 87-year-old Queen in a horse-drawn carriage as a guard of honor played the British and Irish national anthems.
His trip follows a historic visit by the Queen to the Irish Republic in 2011, the first by a British monarch since Dublin won its independence from London in 1921.
Higgins, whose office is largely ceremonial, was due to address both houses of Britain's parliament later on Tuesday, a privilege only accorded to a few foreign leaders including Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama.
In a sign of how far relations have progressed, former Irish Republican Army (IRA) guerrilla chief Martin McGuinness will join Higgins at many events, includ