Irish President Michael D Higgins has arrived to the UK on the first official state visit by an Irish head of state, Tuesday.

The four-day trip, which comes three years after the Queen visited Ireland, includes an address to Parliament and a focus on the contribution Irish emigrants have made to UK life, The Guardian reports.

President Higgins was greeted at the Irish embassy in London by Prince Charles and then headed to Windsor where he met with the Queen and Prince Philip.

The president is to lay a wreath at the grave of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey, central London and is also due to meet Prime Minister David Cameron at Downing Street, pay tribute to the work of Irish health professionals, and meet business leaders and London Mayor Boris Johnson.

According to Higgins, the visit would be "very important for the relationships between the people of Ireland and UK," the BBC informs.

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