The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, who are on a week-long tour of India and Bhutan, visited the Taj Mahal on Saturday.
The royal couple posed in front of the monument, much like Prince William's late mother Princess Diana during her visit to the memorial in 1992 without her then husband, Prince Charles.
When the late Princess Diana – William’s mother – was photographed sitting alone outside the tragic monument to love in 1992, it sparked much media speculation and later became a symbol of her failing marriage. The photograph remains one of the iconic images of the princess, who died in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997.
Her son’s visit to Agra generated much excitement as visitors hoped to get a glimpse of the royal couple. The Taj was cleared of tourists minutes before the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
As temperatures soared, workers sprinkled cold water on the famous ‘Diana bench’ in front of the monument, where the pair posed for a photo, Kate wearing a white-and-blue dress and her husband in a matching blue blazer. Kate’s dress was made by Indian-American designer Naeem Khan.
“It’s a beautiful place, stunning designs in there,” William told reporters after the couple spent about half an hour inside the mausoleum, famous for its pure white marble. Kate said it had been “incredible learning about the romance of the building and its really beautiful architecture”.
The Duke and Duchess at the Taj Mahal >#RoyalVisitIndia>pic.twitter.com/ObrHIr5QUS
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) >April 16, 2016
The couple travelled to Taj Mahal in an environment friendly, non-polluting battery operated vehicle, the @UKIndia twitter account revealed.
The couple had visited Mumbai, New Delhi, the >Kaziranga National Park in Assam and Bhutan. They stayed in Kaziranga until Thursday, after which they made a one-day trip to Bhutan. They also joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a private lunch on Tuesday in New Delhi.
The royal couple later met with a group of women to hear about what’s being done in the country to help young women facing domestic abuse, discrimination or public assault.
On Monday night, William and Kate wielded a sword at the British High Commissioner's residence on Monday night to cut a cake to mark the coming 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth.
The Taj Mahal visit is the last leg of their tour.
(With inputs from Agencies)
