Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Kate’s a Di-light..
Duchess wears Diana hat in the Hindu Kush
Kalash, a non-muslim population whose religion predates Islam.
After watching a traditional dance, Kate spoke to the performers through an interpreter, before asking how to say in Kalasha: “Thank you so much for these amazing gifts.”
Clearly enjoying herself, Kate teased her husband about his dancing.
She told a group of women: “This is my husband William, Prince William. “I’m sorry he didn’t dance too.”
The couple used the visit to highlight the impact of climate change on the area.
Accompanied by glacier expert Dr Furrukh Bashir, they were shown the Chiatibo Glacier and told how it had retreated rapidly in recent years. William, who has a degree in geography, said communities “vulnerable to change” needed “more education, more awareness and political action”.
He said: “The young are starting to get engaged in it.” He joked about his geography background, saying: “Dr Warren my geography teacher would be well impressed that I’m back at a glacier after all these years.”
Kate joked: “I’ve been very impressed by William’s geography.”
Dr Bashir, of the Pakistan Meteorological Department, said there were more than 5,000 glaciers in the area but almost 70% of them were retreating due to global warming.
The Chiatibo Glacier is retreating by some 10 metres a year. Melting glaciers threaten to flood communities downstream and remove the water supply from 200 million people.
Dr Bashir said: “These glaciers are retreating and telling you that climate change is real. A quarter of humanity are dependent on these glaciers.”
William and Kate also travelled to Bumburet, in central Chitral, to meet people whose community was devastated during flooding in 2015.
Buildings and farmland were destroyed when
PAKISTAN METEOROLOGICAL DEPT
boulders tumbled down with flood water. William and Kate met a woman who was named after William’s mum because her grandmother went to Chitral to see the princess in 1991.
After the couple chatted to Diana, the translator said: “Princess Diana was visiting at around the time she was born, which is why she got named Diana. Now her son is William.”
The young woman is part of an emergency response team of volunteers, funded by UK aid, which prevented loss of life in the 2015 floods.
The translator said residents were “glad that people are learning more about this. It’s a source of pride”.
He said: “They can’t forget this day.”