The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Catherine, will mark another historic milestone of their royal journey this autumn. The royal couple will be undertaking their first official visit to Pakistan. It was being speculated for some time now that couple will be embarking on another tour soon.
🇵🇰 The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will undertake an official visit to Pakistan this autumn, at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Further details will be advised in due course. pic.twitter.com/z8M1hnpfWS
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) June 29, 2019
The Kensington Palace today confirmed that William and Catherine will be visiting an Asian country this year. It is expected to be a week-long visit. Further details will be disclosed in the due course.
The tour has been scheduled on the request of Foreign Office. I must say the tour destination has definitely surprised the royal fandom that was eagerly waiting for a Cambridge tour. None of us has expected it to be Pakistan since the rumours of a possible tour to some Asian countries has started. The speculation included Sri Lanka and Japan.
The visit is a high profile one due to the security concerns, and Pakistan’s position in Asia. Chris Ship from ITV has reported on Twitter that Cambridge kids will not be accompanying their parents for the visit. Duke and Duchess’ last foreign visit together was in January-February 2018 when they visited Sweden and Norway.
Since his Middle East tour last year, William has stepped up in his royal role and the visit shows the confidence Palace and British Government has in the future Monarch of the country and the growing responsibilities of Catherine as future Queen Consort.
About the visit, High Commissioner for Pakistan, Mohammad Nafees Zakaria, said,
“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. The people of Pakistan still cherish and fondly recall the visits of The Queen to Pakistan during 1961 and 1997.” The visit shows “the importance the UK attaches to its relations with Pakistan. Both countries enjoy historical links which both sides wish to strengthen further.”
The Queen visited Pakistan in 1961 and 1997, and The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall visited in 2006. Pakistan, who gained its Independence from British Rule in 1947 and now part of the commonwealth has a fascinating history. The Gert’s Royal on Twitter made an interesting point, “It joined in 1947, left in 1972. Rejoined in 1981. Got suspended twice and then unsuspended in 2008. It is 1 of the 7 countries in Asia that are apart of the Commonwealth, with 53 countries in total”.
During the week-long visit, William and Catherine are expected to visit the three main cities of the country i.e. Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi along with Peshawar and some rural areas. But these all are the speculations given the situation. We will find the details soon.
William’s mother Late Princess of Diana visited the country twice, first in 1991 and then in 1997. During her second visit, Diana officially opened a Hospital founded by the current Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan. So I expect at least one official dinner organized by the Pakistani PM in the honour of the Royal Couple.
The Royal Watcher on Twitter made an interesting thread on twitter listing some Pakistani Fashion Designer whose creations would be lovely to see Duchess wearing during the visit. During India visit, royal fans were expecting to see Duchess in traditional Shalwar Kameez, but Catherine kept to dresses with mid-length and sleeves. Hopefully, during this visit, we will see Duchess in some traditional attires.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are set to go to Pakistan this autumn, and I really wanted to share some of my favourite Pakistani Designers that I would like her to wear! Pakistani Fashion is known for its good quality fabrics, vibrant colours & intricate designs! pic.twitter.com/Ej1tur9lVZ
— The Royal Watcher (@saadsalman719) June 29, 2019
Stay tuned for the updates. I am expecting to see Catherine this week at Wimbledon and at The RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival that is from 2nd to 7th July where ‘Catherine’s Back to Nature garden‘ will be exhibited.