Wills and Kate visit 'unlikely' anytime soon, says Royal insider

It is unlikely that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be able to take the Taoiseach up on his offer for them to visit Ireland any time soon.

Enda Kenny extened an invitation to William and Kate when he met them at a pre-Olympic event in London last week.

Any formal invites would have to go through Buckingham Palace, but the Taoiseach told the Irish Independent the couple were "very enthusiastic" about the trip.

Former Buckingham Palace spokersperson, Dickie Arbiter, said the Duke and Duchess would encounter a lot of red tape, even if they wanted to come to Ireland in an unofficial capacity.

"They would have to have permission from the Government…and have a lot on their plate at the moment," he said.

The couple are due to travel to Asia in the Autumn on behalf of the Queen.

"Time is very precious…They're unlikely to travel anywhere other than what's already scheduled," added Mr Arbiter.