It is unlikely that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be able to take the Taoiseach up on his offer for them to visit Ireland any time soon.

Enda Kenny extened an invitation to William and Kate when he met them at a pre-Olympic event in London last week.

Any formal invites would have to go through Buckingham Palace but the Taoiseach told the Irish Independent the couple were ‘very enthusiastic’ about the trip.

Former Buckingham Palace spokersperson is Dickie Arbiter.

He says the Duke and Duchess would encounter a lot of red tape even if they wanted to come to Ireland in an unofficial capacity.

He spoke with Lunchtime here on Newstalk.