Mr Higgins was the guest of honour at the Windsor Castle banquetIrish President Michael D Higgins will have a private lunch with Prime Minister David Cameron on the second day of his state visit to the UK.
Mr Higgins will also view the colours of the disbanded Irish regiments at Windsor Castle.
His schedule of engagements is due to conclude with a banquet at the Guildhall in London.
On Tuesday, Mr Higgins addressed both Houses of Parliament and attended a state banquet hosted by the Queen.
The Windsor Castle banquet on Tuesday night was also attended by Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.
The former IRA leader joined in a toast to the Queen, having told BBC Two's Newsnight that he would "observe all the protocols and civilities".
Mr McGuinness had previously shaken hands with the Queen during her 2012 visit to Northern Ireland.
Mr Higgins' visit is the first state visit to the UK by an Irish head of state.
His four-day trip comes after the Queen became the first British monarch to visit the Republic of Ireland three years ago.
Martin McGuinness attended the state banquet at Windsor CastleDuring his speech in the Palace of Westminster on Tuesday afternoon, Mr Higgins spoke of his country's "deep and enduring" friendship with Britain.
He said both countries could take "immense pride" in their work towards peace in Northern Ireland.
Mr Higgins spoke of the "pain and sacrifice" associated with Irish independence from the UK in 1922, which he said had cast a "long shadow across our relations".
"We acknowledge that past but, even more, we wholeheartedly welcome the considerable achievement of today's reality - the mutual respect, friendship and co-operation which exists between our two countries," he said.
Mr Higgins' first engagement on Wednesday is viewing the colours of the disbanded Irish regiments alongside the Duke of York, Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Irish Regiment.
After his Downing Street meeting with Mr Cameron he is due to meet Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg at Buckingham Palace.
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