FIRM CHANGES The real purpose of the PAKISTAN TOUR
WILLIAM & KATE ARE READY TO REIGN!
When it comes to the royal family, it’s often the tiny details that hint at who’s where in the hierarchy. Take the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s tour of Pakistan, for instance.
Until now, only the Queen (93) and Charles, Prince of Wales, have brought a doctor with them when they travel abroad, in case the monarch or heir need special medical attention.
Now, Prince William and Kate (37) have joined this elite, signalling their inexorable rise up the regal pecking order.
“The palace insisted,” says one of their circle. “If he’s essentially acting on behalf of the Queen, he needs to be given the same privileges and protections. They’ll have a medic with them now every time they travel.”
But William (37) is his own man, with down-to-earth views akin to those of his future subjects. When he was told that a doctor must join the party, adds his friend, “The duke replied that if one had to come, he’d choose who it was. He chose a friend from the East Anglian Air Ambulance.”
The last official royal tour of Pakistan was back in 2006, when Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall went. And both the UK and Pakistan see William and Kate’s visit as a big deal.
More than 1000 police officers were detailed to protect the royal couple during their 1000km journey across the country, with security officers also checking every venue.
Because the security situation in Pakistan is tense, details of their itinerary were only released as engagements took place. As Kensington Palace put it, “This is the most complex tour undertaken by the duke and duchess to date, given the logistical and security
considerations.” Royal watcher Ingrid Seward adds, “The Pakistan tour is very serious and politically sensitive and it’s a great honour that Kate and William were asked to do it.”
It also put a little distance between the Cambridges and Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, whose African tour last month had no political ramifications. It underlines a hard truth for the brothers: William is king-inwaiting. Harry is not.
William and Kate didn’t put a foot wrong. For the duke, dressing the part was easy:
Shirts and chinos for hot days, suits and even a dark green sherwani – a knee-length, coat-like jacket with matching trousers – at the National Monument of Pakistan.
Meanwhile, the duchess and her style advisers put in the time to get her outfits exactly right.
Stepping off the plane on her arrival, Kate wore an aqua blue shalwar kameez (a traditional Pakistani long shirt, or kurti, with trousers underneath) by one of her favourite designers, Catherine Walker. It was strongly reminiscent of an outfit Diana, Princess of Wales, wore in Pakistan after her divorce from Charles and on her two tours of the country in 1996 and 1997 – it was no coincidence.
For the rest of the trip, Kate showcased mainly local and locallyinspired clothes (think national colours), including shalwar kameez by Pakistani designers Maheen Khan – known as the Coco Chanel of the East – and Zeen.
Industry leaders in Pakistan were duly grateful. Fashion Pakistan’s spokesperson Yusra Askari says, “The Duchess of Cambridge is a global fashion icon and trendsetter. It’s time for Pakistani designers and the country’s fashion industry to brace for the Kate Effect.”
Something else noticeable was that Kate dressed in the same assured, bright colours that Diana used to wear, and just as the Queen has always done to ensure people in crowds can spot her immediately. As they say, dress for the job you want.
Only a small part of the Cambridges’ tour echoed Diana’s visits. William and Kate met Pakistan’s prime minister, former cricketer Imran Khan (67), an old friend of Diana’s that William first met when he was 11.
While touring the Islamabad Model College for Girls,
William touched on his family connections with the country, saying, “We have been wanting to come for a long time so it’s nice to finally be here. My mother was here a long time ago, so it’s very nice; my grandmother was here; my father’s been here.”
But make no mistake, nostalgia played no part. This trip was largely about trade in a post-Brexit Britain and tourism in a beautiful country marred by terrorism.
A friend of the couple says, “It’s not about laying ghosts. [But William] is proud of what his mother achieved and he is proud to be
‘We have been wanting to come for a long time so it’s nice to finally be here’ Prince William
following in her footsteps.” Unlike Harry (35) and Meghan (38), who took five-month-old Archie when they toured Africa, William and Kate didn’t bring Prince George (6) Princess Charlotte (4) or one-year-old Prince Louis with them – though they did time their travels so they could take George and Charlotte to school and be back for a weekend with the family.
Ingrid notes, “[Kate] obviously has her life organised so she can spend as much time as possible with the children and still do all her work.”
A friend adds, “They are determined that their children are not going to be disrupted by being royal, so they won’t go on trips in term time at all.
“The two older children are being taken care of by Catherine’s parents, Mike and Carole, and Louis by
Maria [Borrallo], their nanny.”
Having children on the tour would also have distracted from the family-friendly but serious image that has been built up on social media by the Cambridges’ advisers – four of their communications team flew with them to Pakistan.
Royal watcher Penny Junor points out that they constantly release feel-good but accessible images on social media, such as William enjoying a post-match pint or Charlotte’s first day at school – all occasions that many British and Commonwealth families identify with.
They are, Penny believes, “promoting the clear message: ‘We’re the Cambridges and we are just like you.’ That is, an ordinary family, living an ordinary life, with the same worries and proud family moments as the rest of you.
“William and Kate’s carefully crafted new public profile is building a colossal fan base that will set them and the monarchy in good stead for decades to come.”
Image building now goes with the royal territory – but so
does hard work. William gets through two boxes of paperwork every day and frequently meets the Queen and his father face-to-face for advice. He’s also been learning about the family estate, the Duchy of Cornwall, which has made William and Charles (70) “the closest they’ve ever been” says one aide.
Just as Charles is increasingly taking over from his mother, so too is William stepping into his father’s shoes – and won’t have as long to wait for the crown as his dad. For William, this is the context of the Pakistan tour.
“It’s about putting into practice what he’s learnt now he’s in his second year as a fulltime working member of the royal family,” says an adviser. “It’s not a case of learning the ropes, it’s mastering them.”