Dubai: Pakistan will be ready in autumn this year to roll out red carpet for the royaol visit of Prince William and his wife Kate.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit Pakistan this autumn, the first royals to travel to Pakistan in more than 13 years.The last royals to visit Pakistan were the Prince of Wales Charles and Duchess of Cornwall Camilla Parker in 2006.
The upcoming visit of the British royal couple to Pakistan comes at the request of Britain’s Foreign Office, according to the Kensington Palace statement. Further details will be provided in due course, their office said.
Previously, the Queen visited in 1961 and 1997. Prince William’s mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, travelled to Pakistan several times for charity work during her lifetime. But Pakistanis still remember the late Princess Diana’s visit in 1996 when she won hearts of Pakistani people through her charity work. During her visit, she also met Jemima Khan, former wife of Prime Minister Imran Khan and visited Imran’s cancer hospital as well. She had also attended fund raising dinner for Imran’s cancer hospital.
Pakistan’s high commissioner in London welcomed the announcement.
“The Government and the people of Pakistan warmly welcome the announcement of the Royal visit by Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Pakistan this year,” Pakistan High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Mohammad Nafees Zakaria, said.
He added the people of Pakistan “still cherish and fondly recall” the visits by the Queen and described the upcoming trip as a “reflection of the importance the United Kingdom attaches to its relations with Pakistan. The two countries enjoy historical links which both sides wish to strengthen further.”
Britain is home to more than a million people of Pakistani origin, making it the largest Pakistani diaspora in Europe.
Bilateral trade between the two countries was worth almost three billion pounds sterling (US$4 billion) in 2017, with the UK currently Pakistan’s third largest source of foreign investment after China and the Netherlands, according to Britain’s Department of International Trade.
British Airways also resumed its flight last month to Islamabad, in a major vote of confidence after suspending operations due to security fears over a decade ago.
The couple, who have not been on tour together for 18 months as the Duchess looked after their third baby Prince Louis, will visit Pakistan in the autumn as they take on a heavyweight role in Britain’s overseas diplomacy, according to Telegraph.
The tour, which the three Cambridge children will not be part of, will see them navigate significant security concerns to celebrate the country’s ties with the UK. It will be the most logistically difficult tour the Duchess has undertaken during her time in the...
