Top photos from Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Royal Tour of Pakistan
Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton’s royal tour to Pakistan has been termed as “highly successful” as the couple simply won the hearts of Pakistanis by donning traditional dresses, speaking Urdu, playing cricket and visiting children in schools and hospitals.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s tour to Pakistan – at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office – aimed at strengthening ties between the two nations. It also focussed on showcasing Pakistan as it is today – a dynamic, aspirational and forward-looking nation.
Let’s begin with the royal touch down:
On the first day of the visit, Prince William and Kate Middleton visited Islamabad Model College, where they joined kindergarten, Grade 4 and A-level students to see how they are benefiting from UK’s Teach for Pakistan programme.
Next stop on the Royal Visit was the Margalla Hills where they met park rangers and local children to hear about threats to the environment and saw camera traps that help discover more about the wildlife living in the hills.
Later on teh first day, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had official lunch with Prime Minister Imran Khan and alos met President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi and his wife at the Presidential Palace in Islamabad.
The Prince and Princesss rounding off the first day of the with a reception hosted by British Ambassador Thomas Drew at the Pakistan Monument in Islamabad where they arrived in a colourful riskhaw. Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were delighted to meet personalities from cultural, sports and political walks of life.
The next day, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited the stunning mountains of Northern Pakistan, to see how how the effects of climate change and global warming are impacting the communities that call the region home.
The same day, the Royals visited Pakistan’s unique tribe of Kalash in Northern Pakistan, to learn more about their unique heritage and traditions.
The third day began in Pakistan’s cultural hub of Lahore where the couple started the day by meeting children in SOS Village to see how they are being supported.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were then given a tour of the historic Badshahi Mosque in Lahore. TRH met with the religious faith leaders to discuss peace and harmony amongst all faiths.
No trip to Pakistan could be complete without a visit to Pakistan Cricket Academy where the royal couple took time out to play a friendly cricket match with the children and Pakistan’s top men and women cricketers.
They ended the Lahore trip with an emotional visit to the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, which the late Princess Diana (William’s mother) had twice visited to help raise funds for.
On the last day, prior to their departure, Kate and William oversaw the training of dogs at an army canine facility in Rawalpindi.
On the final day, they again visited SOS Children’s Village which provides a home and family structure to over 150 young girls and boys in Lahore.
In an exclusive interview to CNN, Kate Middleton said the trip has “been fantastic”. She added: “We’ve seen a lot of Pakistan, a huge variety. It was amazing seeing some of the geography, but then to see the communities like this has been really special.”