We must not allow past to 'ensnare our future', says Queen

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has said that Britain and Ireland shall “no longer allow our past to ensnare our future” at a historic state banquet in honour of President Michael D Higgins.

The banquet is being held at the Queen’s home, Windsor Castle, where the President is staying with his wife Sabina, and is made all the more significant due to the presence of Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister and ex-IRA commander Martin McGuinness – a move unthinkable only a decade ago.