Princess Anne on royal visit to Ireland

Britain’s Princess Anne will visit Ireland this week.

She is the second British royal to visit the Republic in recent years.

Prince Charles first visited Ireland in June 1995. The visit was seen as a direct consequence of the improved security situation in the North.

He returned in 2002, but that trip was cut short following the death of his sister, Princess Margaret.

There has been increased speculation about the possibility of a visit by Queen Elizabeth.

President Mary McAleese issued a personal invitation to the queen when she visited Buckingham Palace in 2002, and former president Mary Robinson issued a similar invitation on her state visit to Britain in 1996.