Royals also meet president and taoiseach after arriving in Dublin for official trip

This article is more than 6 months old

This article is more than 6 months old

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have started their first official visit to Ireland by laying a wreath at a memorial to those who died for Irish independence.

William and Kate performed the ritual at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin on Tuesday, following in the footsteps of Queen Elizabeth, who made the historic gesture in 2011.

The couple said in a statement they hoped the visit would “build on the theme of remembrance and reconciliation”.

Diplomats on both sides hope the visit, though far more low key than in 2011, will apply balm on Anglo-Irish ties frayed by Brexit and uncertainty over the border with Northern Ireland. It is the first visit by members of the British royal family since the UK left the European Union in January.

After landing at Dublin airport on a commercial Aer Lingus flight, William and Kate met the Irish president, Michael D Higgins, and his wife, Sabina, at their Áras an Uachtaráin residence in Phoenix Park.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Duke and Duchess with the Irish president, Michael D Higgins, his wife, Sabina, and Bród, one of the president’s dogs. Photograph: Phil Noble/PA

They rang the peace bell, which a former president, Mary McAleese, introduced in 2008 to mark the 10th anniversary of the Good Friday agreement.

Amid tight security, a small crowd gathered outside the Garden of Remembrance to try to catch a glimpse of the royals. A piper played an Irish lament.

William and Kate met the taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, and his partner, Matthew Barrett, at Government Buildings and were due later to attend a reception at the Guinness Storehouse.

On Wednesday and Thursday they have engagements in Meath, Kildare and Galway.

A palace statement said they would learn about Ireland’s conservation initiatives and efforts to protect its environment, with a particular focus on sustainable farming and marine conservation.

• This article was amended on 4 March 2020. An earlier headline incorrectly described Dublin’s Garden of Remembrance as a “republican memorial”.