Irish President Catherine Connolly has described a “very interesting” meeting she had with the King.
Ms Connolly had a private meeting with Charles at Dumfries House in East Ayrshire on Wednesday evening during her four-day official visit to Scotland.
Speaking to journalists in Glasgow on Thursday, she said: “It was a very interesting meeting. It was a private meeting. It followed on a particular conference.”
A reception on Harmony in Food and Farming had taken place at Dumfries House earlier on Wednesday, hosted by the King’s Foundation.
Ms Connolly said the King’s Foundation, which was set up in 1990, “encompasses so much”, adding: “Agriculture, sustainability, flooding, AI, democracy and the importance of democracy.
“It was very, very interesting.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Ms Connolly met with First Minister John Swinney at his official residence of Bute House in Edinburgh.
Also during the first day of her visit, Ms Connolly received an honorary fellowship from the Royal Society of Edinburgh before learning more about a project it funds with the Royal Irish Academy that works to help deaf victims of gender-based violence in rural areas.
The president will travel to the Isle of Skye during her visit, and tour Sabhal Mor Ostaig, Scotland’s national centre for Gaelic language and culture.
After meeting Ms Connolly on Wednesday, Mr Swinney said he was “honoured” to welcome her as he stressed the “deep and enduring connections” between their nations.
“I was the first head of government to meet President Connolly after her election last year in Dublin and I’m delighted that so early in her term in office she’s come to visit Scotland,” he said.
“We had an extensive conversation around the relationship between Scotland and Ireland, and some of the global challenges that we all are part of in relation to conflict around the world, and in relation to climate change.”
Earlier this year, Ms Connolly made an official visit to London and Leeds, meeting the King at Buckingham Palace, and she has also made two official visits to Northern Ireland, while in June she met the First Minister of Wales, Rhun ap Iorwerth.
She met US President Donald Trump when he visited Ireland last weekend.
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