Prince William vows to preserve ties between Britain and Ireland post-Brexit

Prince William raised a toast as he gave a speech this evening
AP
Robert Jobson4 March 2020

Prince William tonight pledged that the Royal Family will play its part in preserving and strengthening the bonds between Britain and Ireland after Brexit.

In a keynote address in Dublin in the second day of the royal tour of Ireland, William said his family would play their part in ensuring a prosperous and peaceful future relationship between Britain and Ireland.

He said: “Legal treaties are vital in underpinning the relationships between states. But relationships between people are equally, if not more, essential – especially between the people of our two countries, whose lives, histories and futures are so deeply intertwined.

“I am confident that friendship, understanding and a shared vision for a peaceful and prosperous future will ensure that the unique and precious bond between our people is not broken. My family is determined to continue playing our part in protecting, preserving and strengthening that bond.”

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit Ireland (Day 2) - In pictures

1/38

The Duke of Cambridge was speaking almost a decade after the Queen’s historic visit to Ireland in 2011, the first by a British monarch in a century.

William went on: “Today, our relationship goes far beyond two countries that are simply neighbours.

“'We are firm friends and equal partners', as my grandmother put it. The links between our people, businesses and our culture are inextricable, and we should all be proud to see how strong those bonds are.

“As we look ahead to some changes in our relationship, we must never forget how far we have come together in recent decades in transforming the relationships across our two islands.

“Many people deserve our deepest gratitude for their hard work, imagination and, above all, courage in bringing about these profound changes. It is vital that people of my generation, and generations to come, never take for granted the progress we have made together. We must recommit ourselves to the path of friendship and understanding.”

He went on: “Of course, the changing relationship between the UK and the EU will require us to work together, to ensure that the relationship between Ireland and the UK remains just as strong.

William added: “Over the past two days, Catherine and I have seen for ourselves why Ireland is a country looked upon with such envy.

“As we stood on the cliffs at Howth and looked across the Irish Sea – a mere 50 miles to the British coastline – it was easy to see why so many people find the lure of this beautiful country so difficult to resist.

“And beyond the breath-taking landscapes, we have received such wonderful hospitality and friendship from all those we have met.

“And this morning we were privileged to meet a group of remarkable people who are working to improve the lives of those who are less fortunate. Their commitment and their desire to help is truly inspirational. And we’re looking forward to seeing the wonders that the West coast has to offer when we travel there tomorrow.

“So tonight, we celebrate our commitment to working together – a commitment that I firmly believe will support our relationship in going from strength to strength.“

He then offered a toast to the President of Ireland and to the people of this wonderful country in thanks for the warmth of your welcome on what I hope will be the first of many visits for us.

“Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.” - (Thank you very much)

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in