The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived in Mumbai on the morning of April 10, kicking off their six-day tour of India and Nepal. Their visit, trending as #RoyalVisit, has been under intense scrutiny of the world media ever since they embarked on tour and needless to say, it will be fodder for uncountable stories until they return to England on Saturday, April 16. That’s a mighty long tour but it’s also the first for the royal couple considering India was the first country on Kate’s wish list to visit when they got married.
Here are five must-know facts about their visit…
Kate’s wardrobe choices are confusing critics
Kate Middleton took an experimental departure from her usually conservative choice of wardrobe to adapt some ethnic influences on her India tour. She stepped out in a red floral and paisley printed Alexander Mc Queen dress (from the Pre Fall 2016 collection) to pay homage to the 26/4 Taj Hotel victims, accessorizing the look with a £165 clutch bag from Russell & Bromley and shoes worth £175.00 by L.K Bennett. Later in the day, when playing a sport of cricket with Sachin Tendulkar, she wore another printed dress, this time from Indian designer Anita Dongre. We have to say that this look was very last century and frankly, pedestrian at best. The Accessorize metal earrings ($8) and Mint Velvet wedges did nothing to save the look, which as critics have pointed out, is one Princess Diana wouldn’t be caught dead in. Later that same night Kate wore her favourite British designer, Jenny Peckham, in a dress that was beaded in India for the gala. She wore the dress with Lapis and diamond earrings from Amrapali, priced at approximately £2700.
Bollywood stars were asked not to besiege the royal couple
Kate and Will spent their first evening in the film capital of India, with 200 of the biggest names in the Indian film industry turning out to entertain the royal guests in true Bollywood style. The couple mingled with India’s most celebrated personalities from the worlds of film, sport and commerce, but Bollywood dominated with actors Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Madhuri Dixit-Nene, Shilpa Shetty, Karan Johar, Anil Kapoor with Sonam and Arjun Kapoor, veteran stars Rishi Kapoor and wife Neetu Singh, Hrithik Roshan and Farhan Akhtar amongst others.
The guests – royalty in their own right – had to adhere to strict royal protocol before being granted an audience with the Duke and the Duchess. British High Commissioner Sir Dominic Asquith warned the celebrities not to besiege the royal couple. “I’m told you’re a rowdy bunch!” he reportedly said. “We need to make sure they enjoy the experience as they want to meet you all. I say that in the hope you will be very kind to us and stay in your groups around the tables instead of coming, quite understandably, and besieging them. We will bring them to you.”
And while it was a night of wall-to wall glamour, the evening’s event hosted by The British High Commission in partnership with the British Asian Trust - Prince Charles’ charity - also had a very important objective to raise awareness and funds for three local charities: Childline, Magic Bus and Doorstep.
Three stars decided not to go, despite being invited to the Bollywood gala
Apparently Kangana Ranaut was also invited to the charity gala organised for Prince William and Kate Middleton, on Sunday night. She was supposed to attend the event with designer Manish Malhotra, but she skipped it. As per reports, Kareena and Saif were also invited for the same event, but they, too, didn’t attend it, for reasons unknown. They have not been available for a comment.
The visit to Taj Mahal will be monumental for William
Princess Diana’s trip to Agra in February 1992 produced one of her most iconic photographs of her sitting on a bench alone. She told reporters she found touring the Taj Mahal “very healing” and when asked what she meant she simply replied: “Work it out for yourself”. A few months later, in December, she and Charles announced their separation and the image of her solitary figure on a marble bench became iconic.
A spokesman said William and Kate “cannot wait” to see the monument and added that William “is of course aware of the huge esteem his mother, the late Princess of Wales, is held with in India and he appreciates the iconic status of the images that exist of The Princess at the Taj.”
The spokesman added that the prince feels “incredibly lucky” to visit a place where his mother’s memory is “kept alive” and added he and Kate are looking forward to “creating some new memories.”
Kate and William play sports
You have to hand it to The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who not only hung out with crème de la crème of Bollywood but also played a variety of sports during the course of their visit. Both Kate and William played cricket with street children and were joined by Indian cricket legend, Sachin Tendulkar. Playing at Mumbai Oval Maidan ground, William and Kate also met with children associated to three charities: Childline, Magic Bus & Doorstep. Touring slums in Mumbai, both William and Kate also showed off their football skills and played with the kids around.
