Brian Hutton
KATE Middleton has Irish roots, it has been revealed. Tourism Ireland is set to unveil details in the coming weeks about the Duchess of Cambridge's previously unknown links to the country.
Chief executive Niall Gibbons confirmed yesterday they have established the Irish ancestry of the wife of Britain's future king.
"We have a report on it," he said.
"We have an authenticated connection, with all the certificates and everything."
News of the unlikely royal connection came as it emerged the tourism body has asked Queen Elizabeth to turn Buckingham Palace green for St Patrick's Day.
Some of the world's most famous attractions - including Egypt's Pyramids and Rio's Christ the Redeemer statue are to be illuminated emerald on March 17 to help raise the country's profile.
But despite the queen's groundbreaking visit to the Republic in 2011, she has not yet given the green light for the change of colour at her London residence - a gesture that would signal another milestone in relations across the Irish Sea.
Mr Gibbons said: "I have written to the private secretary to the queen, but we haven't had a reply yet.
"We wrote a couple of months ago, but it is a dialogue that is in progress. I wouldn't be putting any pressure on people."
Other international attractions going green on the patron saint's day include the Sydney Opera House, Niagara Falls, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Burj al Arab in Dubai, Table Mountain in South Africa, New York's Empire State Building and Berlin's TV Tower.
Tourism minister Leo Varadkar revealed an ambitious list has been drawn up of other globally-renowned structures which overseas Irish diplomats are targeting as part of an initiative costing just £30,000.
"It does arise that some of the ones we really want have asked for money and we can't justify spending large amounts of money," he said.