Prince William of British Monarchy and his wife Kate Middleton will pay an official visit to Pakistan from October 14-18, the Kensington Palace disclosed on Friday.
Before their visit, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will attend a special event at the Aga Khan Centre in London on October 2, which will be hosted by Prince Karim Aga Khan.
🇵🇰 The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will attend a special event at the Aga Khan Centre on 2nd October, hosted by His Highness The Aga Khan.
The event falls ahead of TRH’s official visit to Pakistan, which will take place between 14th – 18th October. pic.twitter.com/fc0ZyuyLKs
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) September 20, 2019
William and Kate’s visit to Pakistan was first announced in late June. It is the first royal trip to Pakistan in more than a decade.
The British couple’s visit, requested by Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office, reveals Royal families’ renewed keenness in Pakistan.
Pakistan had greeted the announcement of their arrival, with its ambassador to UK Nafees Zakaria tweeting, “Upcoming Royal visit reflects the importance UK attaches to Pakistan. Both countries enjoy historical links and wish to strengthen them further.”
A Royal visit comes 13 years after Charles and Camilla, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwell, visited the country in 2006.
But Pakistan still remembers the late Princess Diana’s visit in 1996, when She traveled to Islamabad, scenic northern areas and Lahore, and was welcomed by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, the current prime minister.
Diana, who was friends with Imran Khan, also attended a fundraising event of his Shaukat Khanam Memorial Cancer Hospital.
Bilateral trade between the UK and Pakistan was worth almost $4 billion in 2017, and the UK currently serves as Pakistan’s third-largest source of foreign investment after China and the Netherlands, according to Britain’s Department of International Trade.
British Airways also started its operations, again in Pakistan earlier this year, after suspending operations due to security threats over a decade ago.