DAZZLING THE EMERALD ISLE

Will and Kate won even more hearts and minds on their recent tour of Ireland

- NICI DE WET

WHO do you call when you want to go on a charm offensive to one of the most sensitive regions in your neck of the woods?

You call in the Top Two. Forget the heady days of the Fab Four, when William and Kate and Harry and Meghan were perceived as the glamorous future of The Firm – the Cambridges are the royal family’s silver bullet now.

They proved this on their first official visit to Ireland, where they captivated everyone and everything, from the pintsized president and his wife to the cows, the kids and the ecstatic crowds.

Their three-day tour was aimed at building unity between the two countries who’ve had a rocky history stretching back a century and to smooth relations after the turmoil of Brexit.

THEY were given a warm welcome by President Michael Daniel Higgins, his wife, Sabina, and their Burmese mountain dog Brod, who Kate (38) patted affectionately. In a nod to the Emerald Isle, the duchess opted for head-to-toe green, wearing a patterned Alessandra Rich dress under a coat by Catherine Walker.

After a tour of the president’s residence and enjoying a cup of famous Barry’s Irish tea, shamrock shortbread and lemon drizzle cake, they laid a wreath at the Garden of Remembrance – a quiet open space dedicated to those who rose up against British rule in 1916 and gave their lives for Irish independence.

They later headed out to the Gravity Bar in the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, home of the country’s signature stout where William joked he was following in his grandmother’s footsteps by “pulling the perfect pint”.