New friendship - Royal visit
Of all the members of the British royal family, Prince Harry, with his russet locks and foxy beard, looks so much like one of our own. He also acts like it, as he and his wife Meghan exhibited an informal simplicity during the second day of their trip to Ireland. At a visit to Croke Park, Harry joked with a young Dublin Gaelic football supporter, allowing him to stroke his beard.
Following the recent visit of his father, the Prince of Wales, and that of his grandmother, the Queen in 2011, the visit is further manifestation of the growing bonds of friendship between our two islands.
It also points to hope for the future. The people of Ireland and the UK have long concentrated on the things that divide us. The time is ripe to recognise our shared heritage and that which unites us. As President Michael D Higgins noted during his state visit to the UK in 2014, “ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine” — we live in each other’s shadows”.
Prince Harry quoted those words, showing the torch of friendship has been passed to a new generation of royals.
