Prince William and Kate Middleton are continuing to honor Princess Diana's memory on their five-day tour of Pakistan. The royal couple was in Lahore on the fourth day of the tour. They visited the National Cricket Academy, where both William and Kate joined the children participating in the British Council’s DOSTI program for a match. Following their fun time there, they headed to the Badshahi Mosque.
The visit to the Badshahi Mosque is significant because it's one of the areas the late Princess Diana visited during her 1991 visit to Pakistan. Diana walked into the mosque barefoot, in line with tradition, while wearing a green coat dress by Catherine Walker and a head scarf. Kate's look for the mosque visit bore some similarities, but the Duchess of Cambridge opted for a teal look instead of green.
During their visit, William and Kate met with religious figures to talk about promoting interfaith harmony. The couple took particular interest in how those measures impact the country's youth.
Prince William and Kate Middleton are continuing to delve into local culture and international issues on their tour of Pakistan. The royal couple arrived in the country on Monday evening for a five-day royal tour.
Day four of the tour began with a trip to the SOS Children’s Village. The charity provides a home and family structure to over 150 boys and girls. The royals joined in birthday celebrations for three students: 12-year-old Iman, 8-year-old Daniyal, and 6-year-old Ibrahim.
The couple then moved on to the National Cricket Academy, where they joined students participating in the British Council’s DOSTI (which means "friendship" in Urdu) program for a match. It looked like the royals had just as much fun as the kids.
After that, the royals went to the sacred Badshahi Mosque. The visit was also sentimental, as Princess Diana visited the mosque during her 1991 trip to Pakistan. Princess Diana walked into the site barefoot, as is custom, while wearing a green coat dress by Catherine Walker and a head scarf.
For the Cambridges' visit, Kate wore a traditional look. The duchess wore a turquoise French chiffon shalwar kameez with gold embroidery. She coupled that with a matching head scarf by designer Maheen Khan.
William and Kate also removed their shoes to tour the iconic mosque and courtyard, located in the heart of the Walled City. Following the tour, William and Kate met with religious leaders to learn more about how they promote interfaith harmony in their respective communities.
"They were interested in finding out about how the youth thought about interfaith interactions,” said Dr. Ayesha Leghari, a Sunni Muslim scholar, according to People. He was one of the scholars and religious leaders attending the meeting with William and Kate.
"There are different types of listening. Active listening and empathetic listening," he noted. "They were not just active but empathetic, too. We were very pleased. They were very charming and interested in each one of us."
"If there’s one word to describe your visit it is ‘joy.’ You have radiated joy wherever you have been," Honorary Consul UK Fakir Aijaz Uddin told the couple. Prince William kindly replied, "We are very happy people."
The royal couple also visited Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital, which Diana visited in 1996 and again three months before her death in 1997. William and Kate spent time with children who are undergoing treatment at the hospital and their families.
One of those children was 7-year-old Wafia Rehmani, who hosted the royals for a tea party from her hospital bed. She and Kate wore matching princess tiaras as William pretended to sip from toy teacups.
"Her father calls her ‘princess,’ and she likes to wear a crown. Now, she is looking forward to meeting a real princess," said her brother, Hedyatullah Rehmani, according to the Daily Mail, before the couple arrived in the children's chemotherapy ward.
William and Kate were shown around the hospital by Dr. Aasim Yusuf. The doctor was the same person to give Diana her tours in 1996 and 1997. He shared personal photos from that day.
The couple was heading back to Islamabad at the day's end when their jet, the RAF Voyager, flew through an electrical storm. The plane tried to land at two different airports before turning back to Lahore, where they landed safely.
