Feline fine: President Michael D Higgins hosts Britain's Princess Anne — and a cat — at Áras

Irish Examiner

21 hours ago

It was a simple question, but President Michael D Higgins had to take a moment to think of an answer for Britain's Princess Anne.
'You've been doing this for quite a long time,' the Princess Royal said.
Sabina Higgins responded they would be in Áras an Uachtaráin 14 years on November 11.
'Does it feel like much longer?' Princess Anne asked.
'Well…' Mr Higgins said, before taking a moment to think.
He responded to Princess Anne in soft tones, as the media strained to hear the response from the other side of the State Reception Room.
Princess Anne is far from the first member of the British Royal family Mr Higgins has hosted since moving into the Phoenix Park in 2011.
But barring a last-minute visit, she will likely be the final royal to visit Ireland before he departs the Áras in November and his successor moves in.
The relationship between the Irish and British has been strained at various points in our shared history, to put it mildly.
In May 1995, Prince Charles, as he was known at the time, became the first British royal to visit Ireland since it gained its long-sought independence.
Documents released by the UK National Archives in 2020 showed the then British ambassador to Ireland, Veronica Sutherland, described the trip as a 'turning point in history'.
Charles visited Ireland several more times before eventually becoming king in 2022. It is widely expected he will return.
His mother, Queen Elizabeth, became the first reigning monarch to visit the Republic of Ireland when she came to our shores in 2011 on a trip that involved stops in Dublin and Cork.
She was followed by Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, in July 2018, with Prince William and Kate Middleton following in March 2020.
While still significant moments, the royal visits have become far more normalised and low-key in recent years.
Princess Anne signs the visitors' book at Áras an Uachtaráin.
There was a relaxed atmosphere as Princess Anne entered the State Reception Room to meet Mr Higgins.
The Princess Royal, who took her own pen out of the black handbag tucked under her elbow, flicked through the pages in the visitors' book, worried about taking up too much space.
'Am I wasting an entire page?' she asked, as she examined how the last visitor had handled this situation.
Mrs Higgins told her she 'deserved an entire page'. She settled on the middle of the page, singing, 'Anne, 6th August 2025'.
'Do you spend all your time here?' Princess Anne asked as she gazed into the magnificent garden in Áras an Uachtaráin while posing for photos.
Almost all of it, Mr and Mrs Higgins remarked, as Princess Anne described it as a 'nice spot'.
The media were ferried outside as the group met with the British ambassador to Ireland, Paul Johnson, for just under an hour.
Here, reporters learned someone else is already making themselves at home.
A black and white cat has been wandering around the grounds of the Áras in recent weeks.
'How did you let the intruder in?' a security official called from the front door.
A group of gardaí standing outside started laughing as the cat was carried out of the Áras and moved away.
How will the new feline visitor cope when the new human inhabitants move into the house in November and President Higgins and his wife move out?
Already, some of their belongings are being relocated to Galway
Princess Anne was right; he has been doing this for quite a long time.
But the end of the Michael D Higgins era is growing ever closer.