Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he has spoken to his partner Matt Barrett about comments made on his Instagram about King Charles' coronation.
He said that it "won't’ happen again" as Mr Varadkar agreed that the commentary provided by the cardiologist on a private Instagram account was "irreverent". Miriam Lord reported in her Irish Times column on Saturday that Dr Barrett had posted several messages on Instagram while inside Westminster Abbey at King Charles ’ coronation on May 6.
It came just hours after he had met the monarch with the Taoiseach at a reception in Buckingham Palace. It was reported that Mr Varadkar’s partner posted several messages to over 350 followers on his private Instagram account.
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This included a picture of a paragraph in the ceremony booklet that read: "The queen’s sceptre and rod are brought from the altar by the Right Rev and Right Hon the Lord Chartres GCVO and the Right Rev Rose Hudson Wilkin CD MBE, Bishop of Dover. The queen touches them in turn."
Mr Barrett added his own message reading: "Sounds like the script to a good night out, tbh."
The Instagram posts featured in several Irish newspapers over the weekend and have now made headlines across the UK. When asked about the incident at a press conference in Limerick, the Taoiseach said that he had spoken to Mr Barrett about the posts.
"Matt is a private individual, my partner for over seven years now," he said.
"It was some private messages sent to some friends on his private account. He never intended them to go public but that happens sometimes.
"We've spoken about it. And I think it's fair to say it won’t happen again."
When asked if he believed Dr Barrett should apologise, the Taoiseach said he is a "private individual and that is obviously up to him."
He continued: "Like I said, [it is a] private account, [it] was never intended to be shared publicly and I don't think we're going to see a repeat of it."
It was also put to the Taoiseach that the commentary had been described as "irreverent" in some news coverage. Mr Varadkar said that he thinks "irreverent would be a fair comment."
When asked if he thought it was an "embarrassment", Mr Varadkar said, "I think I have answered that question".
It was reported that Mr Barrett made several posts during the ceremony.
Posting a picture from inside the Taoiseach’s VIP vehicle, he wrote: "Holy shit I think I’m accidentally crowned king of England."
Taking a picture of Right Rev James Newcome’s 'Clerk of the Closet' title, Mr Barrett said that he "had this job until my early 20s."
He later posted a picture of King Charles wearing his crown. He appeared to insinuate that it reminded him of the Harry Potter sorting hat as he posted, "Was genuinely half expecting it to shout GRYFFINDOR."
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