The Visit
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, namely Prince William and Kate Middleton, arrived in Pakistan on October 14 2019 on their first visit to the country. Their stay here is to span over five days, with stops in Islamabad, Lahore, Gilgit, and other areas are part of the itinerary. With the first day of their visit down, let’s take a look at the activity that took place.
The Arrival
The Royal couple arrived in Islamabad at Pakistani Air Force Base ‘Nur Khan’, where they were greeted by the Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and British High Commissioner Thomas Drew among other high level officials.
They were presented with bouquets of flowers by two children in traditional dress as they made their way across the red carpet.
Many noticed Kate was already echoing the late Diana’s dressing from her visit to Pakistan. She was also seen sporting local brand Zeen’s accessories. William wore a black suit and tie.
Islamabad Model school for girls
The next morning, William and Kate’s first stop in their busy schedule was the government-run Islamabad Model School for Girls. There, the pair visited various classrooms, interacting with teachers and students, particularly in the pre school classrooms.
They were also briefed about ‘Teach for Pakistan‘ by the school’s principal, a teacher training program based on UK’s ‘Teach First’. Following that, the pair spoke to students about how they were benefiting from the program. During a conversational session in one of the classrooms, a student told Prince William that she was a big fan of Princess Diana, to which he fondly replied, “I was a big fan of my mother too”.
Margalla Trail 5
Continuing their educational campaign, the Duke and Duchess arrived at Margalla Trail 5, where they joined kids from four local schools to attend an event regarding environmental protection.
There they took part in activities with the students and encouraged them to learn more about conservation and pollution. They also visited conservationists in the Himalayan foothills outside Islamabad. Throughout the school tour, Kate wore blue shalwar kameez suit designed by Maheen Khan while Will donned a casual-formal shirt and trouser.
Lunch With The PM
Prince William and Duchess Kate then stopped by PM Imran Khan’s house for a formal lunch and meeting, where Khan recalled “the love and affection among the people of Pakistan for Princess Diana” thanks to her generous charity and support for causes like the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital.
The Royal couple were welcomed by President Arif Alvi and his wife Samina Arif at Awan-i-Sadr before being greeted with a smiling Prime Minister at the entrance to his house. The president also commended their philanthropic efforts to raise awareness about mental health, climate change, and poverty alleviation, according to a press release.
Prince William reportedly thanked the President for the warm welcome and hospitality, and appreciated Pakistan’s initiatives to combat climate change and to alleviate poverty. The couple also had an outfit change, with Kate switching to a traditional Pakistani dress in vibrant green and white with a dark green dupatta and William changing to a suit and tie.
Reception at the Pakistan Monument
At night, the two Royals made their final stop of the day at the Pakistan Monument, where Prince William gave his first official speech in the country. The pair arrived at the venue in a specially embezeled rickshaw, with William wearing a sherwani and Kate in a embellished green gown.
The monument was lit up in time for the reception and many prominent personalities were present, such as Wasim Akram, Mehwish Hayat, and Ali Zafar. In his speech, Prince William highlighted the importance of educating the youth, recognised Pakistan’s “great potential”, spoke of bonds between the two countries and paid tribute to all those who “endured sacrifice and helped build Pakistan to the country it is today”.
Read more from ProperGaanda: The Duke And Duchess Of Cambridge To Arrive in Islamabad Today