The organisers of Prince Andrew's visit to Dublin this week had a major problem with a feline dimension, The Irish Timeshas learned.
In his capacity as the United Kingdom special representative for international trade and investment, the prince was to be guest of honour at a dinner with members of the business community on Monday evening, before his return home that night.
The dinner was to be hosted by British ambassador David Reddaway at his official residence, Glencairn House, in Leopardstown, south Co Dublin.
However, at a late stage in the planning process, an unforeseen problem arose, according to highly reliable sources. The prince has an allergy to cats and the inhabitants of Glencairn include one or more members of the species.
A busy search began for an alternative location. Since the guest list was mainly confined to members of the business community, the usual locations such as Iveagh House, headquarters of the Department of Foreign Affairs, or Áras an Uachtaráin, were out of the question.
But it was also clearly felt that hiring a private room in a restaurant would be inappropriate.
In the event, the Central Bank in Dublin's Dame Street stepped up to the mark. The bank has facilities on the top floor with a fine view of the city.
The occasion went off without a hitch, by all accounts, and other guests included Central Bank governor John Hurley and secretary-general of the Department of Finance, David Doyle.
In response to a query from The Irish Times, a Central Bank spokeswoman said: "The dinner was a private function and we can't comment."
The British embassy response was equally cryptic: "We have no comment to make on this matter."
But other sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the issue had arisen "about two weeks ago".
British and Irish officials involved in the visit were faced with a dilemma arising from the fact that the prince has an allergic reaction when confronted by the feline species.
As one source rather colourfully put it: "He hates mogs."
