SITTING underneath a portrait of Queen Elizabeth in the City of York's Mansion House, President Robinson described her historic four day official visit to Britain as very important" and a success.
Speaking to Irish journalists at the end of her visit, Mrs Robinson admitted that she had initially been concerned her presence might have affected the "sensitive" nature of the peace process but she now believed the timing was very appropriate.
"I think in fact it has been very positive indeed it has been precisely the appropriate time to take stock of the wider relations. It has provided a broader context which I think has been helpful to the two governments in addressing the difficult issues on which they have to work together and seek to find agreement between the political parties and it has reminded both peoples how much we have in common and how important it is to achieve a sustainable peace", she said.
After stating that she believed the relationship between the two countries was now "maturing", Mrs Robinson confirmed that the queen had "informally" expressed a desire to visit Ireland.
"I think she envisages that it may be possible if and when the appropriate time comes.
"Prince Charles said he would very definitely like to visit again and the Duke of York also said he was very interested in coming to Ireland. It would give me great pleasure to welcome them all", she said.
Earlier, the Duke of York escorted Mrs Robinson and her husband, Nicholas, to an ecumenical service at York Minister, where the theme was compromise and reconciliation.
The service was attended by representatives from many faiths, including the Roman Catholic Bishops of Leeds and Middlesborough.
The minister, which is noted for its medieval stained and painted glass windows, was struck by lightning in 1984 but has since been fully restored.
In his sermon to the congregation of dignitaries and local school children, the Archbishop of York, Dr David Hope, quoted from Nelson Mandela's biography and suggested that compromise was not a sign of weakness but involved the surrender of intolerance.
"The process of reconciliation means a readiness on the part of each community to reach out to the other without feeling that its own political and religious identity is thereby threatened.
"It means accepting that compromise does not constitute surrender of principle and is not a sign of weakness and that to make concessions does not involve the betrayal of a proud heritage please God let there be peace," he said.
As he recalled the life of St Patrick, Dr Hope told the congregation that the lesson from history should be never to forget but to repent.
"Yes, there are memories, the deep, searing and painful hurts, resentments and hatreds which cannot and will not be forgotten and eradicated. We bring our past with us.
"It cannot be undone... the way to heal the wounds of history is not to forget but to repent. There is a direct and inescapable relationship between repentance and reconciliation", he said.
After the service, Mrs Robinson said she believed Dr Hope's message echoed the sentiments of the British people she had met on her visit.
"It was a very well judged and very special sermon. It brought together exactly what I have heard and felt during the last few days", she added.
Mrs Robinson, who had specifically chosen to end her visit in York, then toured the city's numerous historical sites, including the Jorvik Viking centre and the nearby Castle Howard, where the award winning television programme Brideshead Revisited was filmed.
