US President Joe Biden could visit the UK to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement next year.
King Charles III would host Mr Biden around the time of a possible European trip for celebrations of the 1998 peace deal that helped end 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland.
Proud of his roots in Ireland and the US’ role in brokering the agreement, Mr Biden would likely be keen to visit the island of Ireland to mark the anniversary.
Diplomatic sources said it would be an ideal moment to invite Mr Biden for a state visit.
But there were concerns raised over the level of the celebrations, with the Northern Ireland Executive established by the agreement currently collapsed.
The UK government was optimistic, however, that power-sharing could be back up and running by the anniversary.
Biden's Europe visit — in pictures
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US President Joe Biden meets Ukrainian refugees at the PGE Narodowy Stadium in Warsaw during a visit to Poland. AP -
Poland has taken in more than 2.2 million refugees who fled Ukraine after Russian forces entered on February 24, 2022. Mr Biden also met humanitarian aid workers at the stadium. AP -
Mr Biden eats pizza as he talks to members of the 82nd Airborne Division at the G2A Arena in Jasionka, Poland. AP -
The US president speaks with Polish President Andrzej Duda at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw. AP -
President Duda welcomes Mr Biden outside the Presidential Palace. Reuters -
Mr Biden inspects a guard of honour with Mr Duda at the Presidential Palace. AP -
With Polish officials lobbying for humanitarian help, Mr Biden has said the US will offer $1 billion in relief for people affected by the war in Ukraine. AP -
Mr Biden talks with José Andrés, of the Think Food Group, at PGE Narodowy Stadium. AP -
Russia's attack on Ukraine, and Belarus's ever closer ties to the Kremlin, have raised alarm bells in Moscow's former sphere of influence. AP -
Mr Biden, flanked by the mayor of Warsaw Rafal Trzaskowski and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, hugs a woman as he visits Ukrainian refugees. Reuters -
Mr Biden talks to children of Ukrainian refugees. Reuters -
Mr Biden delivers a speech at the Royal Castle in Warsaw. AP -
People listen as the US president delivers his speech about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. AP -
Mr Biden said stopping the war in Ukraine was 'the task of our time'. AP
UK Prime Minister Liz Truss met the US president at a UN summit in New York on Wednesday, but she was not afforded the White House visit that Boris Johnson was treated to last year, with officials blaming the tight schedule of her trip.
Mr Biden did meet Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle after visiting Cornwall for the Group of Seven summit in June last year, but it did not have the full pomp and ceremony of a state visit.
His predecessor, Donald Trump, received a state visit in 2019.
