It should come as no surprise — last month's royal wedding led to a surge in passengers at major UK airports. Airport operator BAA handled 9.34 million people at its six UK airports in May 2011. This is a 9.2% increase on the May 2010 figure, which was affected by the first Icelandic ash-cloud crisis and industrial action.

Obama's morale-boosting stop-off, together with Queen Elizabeth's historic state visit just days earlier, have given Irish tourism a boost it desperately needed after three years of recession saw revenues and visitors drop by about a third.

This has been a month in which the “soft power” of our sovereign has been writ large. It is a good time to pause and reflect on the enormous advantages Britain’s monarchy brings to the country, and the sometimes overlooked sacrifices made by members of the Royal Family.

Those keen to pinpoint how an essential relationship differs from a special one will be tracking Michelle Obama's wardrobe choices. The First Lady has proved herself to have a talent for projecting a style which illustrates the Obama political message, while showcasing her own personality.

In the coming weeks, Ireland will host two of the world's most recognizable VIPs: Queen Elizabeth II and President Barack Obama. Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny has called both visits "an investment for the future," citing the benefits they will bring in the way of tourism and business.

The Queen is poised to become the first British monarch to visit the Republic of Ireland. From the War of Independence to the Northern Ireland issue, the Anglo-Irish relationship has been troubled. It is hoping her visit will restore confidence in the Republic and boost its economic recovery.

There are so many different ways of describing what we witnessed yesterday. According to an expert commentator on the BBC, it was a “fan-blooming-tastic day for British fashion”. According to Boris Johnson, crammed into his morning suit from Moss Bros, it was “a good dry-run for the Olympics”.

Prince William to Catherine Middleton’s spectacular Royal event delivered hundreds of millions of pounds in extra revenue for memorabilia manufacturers, and a major tourism boost for the British capital. Across the world, millions still come to understand Britain through the monarchy.