President Higgins praises Queen Elizabeth’s ‘exceptional’ ability to connect with people

Britiain's Queen Elizabeth II smiles as she talks with President Michael D Higgins during a ceremonial welcome at Windsor Castle. File picture

President Michael D Higgins has praised Britain's late Queen Elizabeth and her “exceptional” ability to combine a sense of formality with “a great capacity for connection with the people”.

It comes as leaders across the political, business and cultural spheres in Ireland continue to express their sympathies and condolences to the late monarch, who died on Thursday at the age of 96.