The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will arrive
in India today for a nine
day long tour of the country which is expected to renew and concrete the ties
between UK and India. This
time the Royal Couple will travel throughout the country’s length and breadth
which will enable them to have a first hand experience of India’s diverse
culture and people. They will also laud the achievements of the important
individuals and will take part in some of the important moments of people’s
life as well.
The Duchess is reported to have her own agenda to have a
number of single engagements which will focus on her personal interests like
literacy, equestrianism and osteoporosis. She will also turn 65 during this
tour of her just a day before the all important meeting of the Commonwealth
Heads of Government (CHOGM) on behalf of the Queen in Sri Lanka. She
will also find some challenges during her visit to Colombo as there are many questions raised in
the country’s record on human rights of ethnic Tamils.
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Royal Couple to begin their India visit today
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The Prince of Wales on the other hand is more excited about
the Commonwealth Nations meet. In 2000 meet in Trinidad
he had said, “I have long had an instinctive sense of the value of the
commonwealth. It encourages and celebrates cultural diversity and it also makes
no attempt to homogenize. It is something rather very special and worth
cherishing. It is as old as I am and so has been present throughout my life as
something to which the Queen and other members of my family attached a great
value on it.”
The last time the Royal Couple visited India was in the year of 2010 when the Price
opened the Commonwealth Games in country’s capital New Delhi. But this will be a very hectic
travel for them as they will travel from New Delhi
to Dehradun to Pune, Kochi
and Mumbai. They will also meet India’s
top political leaders and business persons during their visit. They will also
visit the famous ‘Elephant Corridor’ in Kerala and will also attend a gala
‘Bollywood Style’ dinner in Mumbai.
They will arrive in Dehradun today via a chartered flight
and then will be traveling to the River Ganges and will attend the ‘Sandhya
Aarti’ or ‘Evening Prayers’ on the banks of the river. Tomorrow the Prince will
visit the military academy and the Forest Research Institute whereas the
Duchess will visit the famous and prestigious Doon School.
