PRINCE CHARLES HAD made visiting Ireland an annual tradition since 2015, but the British Royal will not be making a trip across the Irish sea this year. 

In a statement this evening, he said it was “particular sadness that, due to the current public health crisis,” that he and his wife Camilla could not visit the country.

This message comes on the eve of the fifth anniversary of Charles’ visit to Sligo in 2015. 

The site at Mullaghmore in Sligo is where his great uncle Lord Louis Mountbatten was assassinated by the IRA in 1979.

During that visit, and in subsequent visits, the prince of Wales has praised the progress made in Anglo-Irish relations in recent decades.

He’s also been able to sample the Wicklow Mountains National Park, try his hand at hurling, tour the gardens of Glenveagh castle and have a laugh with Gerry Adams during his visits in recent years.

The prince said today: “My wife and I cherish such special memories of our visit to Sligo five years ago, and of each of the visits we have made to Ireland in every year since.

It has meant so much to us that we have been able to play our small part in the vital process of reconciliation on the island of Ireland and towards reaffirming the essential bond between the people of Ireland and the people of the United Kingdom. 

He added: “We very much look forward to visiting again once happier times return.”

Earlier today, Prince Charles called on “pickers who are stickers” to join a national effort in the UK to help farmers with the “unglamorous” job of harvesting fruit and vegetables.

Charles backed the British government’s initiative to bring UK workers and farmers together to ensure crops are not left to rot in the ground during the coronavirus outbreak.

He likened the “vital” project to the Women’s Land Army, which helped boost Britain’s food production during the Second World War.

With reporting from PA