The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall will visit Cork early next month. Pic: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire

Royal visit to Cork planned by Princes Charles and Camilla

Cork is preparing for another royal visit with Prince Charles and his wife Camilla expected to visit the city and county early next month.

Following in the footsteps of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall may visit the English Market with the possibility of a number of other Cork locations included on their itinerary.

It is understood that planning for the trip has been underway for a number of weeks but the final itinerary has yet to be confirmed given the extensive planning for the royal wedding of the Prince's son Harry, taking place this weekend.

Gardaí and security personnel have been travelling the city and county, along with parts of Kerry in recent days to discuss security arrangements.

The visit of Queen Elizabeth to the English Market in 2011 was considered the highlight of her historic trip to Ireland. While that was her only stop in Cork, it is understood that Prince Charles and Camilla will stay longer on Leeside.

The Prince has a strong interest in built heritage, architecture and sustainability which means visits to Cork City Hall for a civic event, the English Market and a possible walk around the city centre could form part of their visit.

However, the exact itinerary is speculation at this stage.

Camilla recently made a high profile visit to a domestic violence refuge while on a recent trip to France as it is an important issue for her and a visit to a similar facility here in Cork might be on the cards.

Prince Charles recently met guide dogs in training and Cork is home to the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind which means a visit to the centre on the Model Farm Road might also be possible.

Whilst no confirmation was available from Cork City Council of any details of the royal visit a spokesperson did confirm that the city would always put its best foot forward for a high profile visitor as it did for the visit of Queen Elizabeth II.