Leo Varadkar’s partner apologises over coronation posts

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s partner has apologised for social media posts he made about the coronation of Britain's King Charles, saying they reflected “poor judgment”.

Mr Varadkar and his partner Matt Barrett were among those in attendance at the recent coronation service for Charles at Westminster Abbey in London.

They were also present at a reception in Buckingham Palace on May 5th and spoke to Charles ahead of the coronation ceremony the following day.

The Irish Times reported this week that Mr Barrett had posted several comments about the coronation to his Instagram account while attending the event.

Tweeting from his account on Monday, Mr Barrett said: “On reflection, poor judgment on my part.

“Unreservedly apologise for any offence caused.”

When asked about the Instagram posts on Monday, Mr Varadkar said that it would be a “fair comment” to describe them as “irreverent”.

“Matt is a private individual, my partner for over seven years now,” he said.

“And it was some private messages sent to some friends on his private account.

“He never intended for them to go public but that happens sometimes and, look, we’ve spoken about it and I think it’s fair to say it won’t happen again.

When asked should he apologise, the Taoiseach said: “He’s a private individual and that’s obviously up to him but, like I say, private account, was never intended to be shared publicly and I don’t think we’re going to see a repeat of it.”