Queen Elizabeth II may be preparing to make the first-ever visit by a British head of state to the Republic in the near future, it was claimed today.
She is visiting Northern Ireland with the Duke of Edinburgh today, and has arrived in Derry within the last few minutes.
"It has been clear for some time that a visit by the Queen will happen - and that it will be sooner rather than later," a source in the Department of the Taoiseach said today.
"Now that the Northern Ireland peace process is back on track, the conditions are right - about as good as they have ever been - so some kind of movement on that front can be expected.
"The logistics of arranging such a ground-breaking event will be huge, though, so it may not happen overnight," the source said.
As part of her round of engagements today she is expected to meet First Minister at the Northern Ireland Assembly Mr David Trimble and Deputy First Minister Mr Mark Durkan, of the SDLP.
Sinn Fein's Mr Martin McGuinness and Ms Bairbre de Brún declined invitations, but Mr Durkan said be believed it was only a matter of time before republicans eventually agreed to meet the Queen in Dublin.
The queen's last visit to the North was to present the George Cross to the RUC at Hillsborough last April for "courage and dedication".
PA