Queen Elizabeth welcomes President Michael D Higgins to the United Kingdom.
The first official State visit by an Irish president to the United Kingdom commenced when President Michael D Higgins, accompanied by his wife Sabina, were welcomed by Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh.
A gun salute was fired from the grounds of Windsor Castle, and Amhrán na bhFiann played by the military band. The hosts and their guests then travelled to Windsor Castle in a carriage procession,
No nation on earth does pageantry better.
At the inspection of a guard of honour at Windsor Castle, the band of the Irish guards play. President Higgins presented a gift for the mascot of the Guards, an Irish wolfhound called Dónal.
After a private lunch the President viewed some artefacts in the royal family's Irish collection. Buckingham Palace sources have suggested that the Queen has been very much involved in the planning for this visit,
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 8 April 2014. The reporter is Tommie Gorman.
