KATE’S FOLLOWING IN DIANA’S FOOTSTEPS
The pair are pictureperfect in Pakistan
Almost 30 years after Princess Diana’s groundbreaking first visit to Pakistan, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have stirred special memories as they followed in her footsteps on their own historic tour.
Leaving their children in the care of their nanny at home in the UK, Prince William and Kate touched down in Islamabad last week to begin their highly anticipated five-day tour.
It was the first royal visit to the colourful nation since the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall toured in 2006 – and sources have described it as Kate and William’s “most challenging and complex” overseas mission yet. Indeed, more than 1000 police officers were said to be involved in the security operation to ensure the couple’s safety in the country more recently known for its terrorism.
But as William and Kate, both 37, confidently went about official engagements, they showed no signs of nerves. In fact, they made headlines around the world for their poise, warmth and elegance, again drawing comparisons with Diana, who won the hearts of the nation on her high-profile visits in the ’90s.
Indeed, like the People’s Princess, virtually each day of the tour Kate showcased Pakistani dress in some stunning fashion choices. She opted for striking traditional ensembles and dazzled in a floor-length emerald gown at a gala.
And on a visit to the Himalayan mountains, the dazzling duchess even donned the same traditional hat worn by Diana back in 1991, and was heard telling her husband it felt “very special” to walk the same path as his beloved mother once did.
A day earlier, there was a touching moment when a group of school children were overheard telling William that they were “big fans” of Diana, to which he replied, “I was a big fan of my mother too.”
The young royals also travelled to Lahore, where they surprised a group of children at a birthday party in a village for girls and boys who have been through hardship. There, Kate gave her first speech of the tour – including an impressive greeting in Urdu!
“Being here in Pakistan, William and I have seen that family is at the heart of your culture … You have reminded us exactly what family means,” the mother-ofthree said, adding that it’s
a term that goes beyond blood relatives. “Instead it describes those special bonds we share with those who make us feel safe and supported. It is the quality of those relationships that matters.”
After a game of cricket, the duo retraced Diana’s footsteps by visiting the Badshahi Mosque, with the duchess wearing a headscarf and walking barefoot. They were told by a host that they had radiated joy wherever they had been, to which William replied, “We are very happy people.”
They also went to the same Shaukat Memorial Hospital that Diana visited in 1996 and again just months before her death the following year.
Dr Aasim Yusif was there to welcome the couple, just as he had William’s mother. Their visit made him feel “a lot older”, he joked. And there, Kate showed how open and friendly she is as she sat down with seven-year-old Wafia Rehmani, who has a kidney tumour, smiling as she donned a plastic tiara and enjoyed a toy tea party.
The trip is a welcome boost for the royal family, who’ve been mired in scandal with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s extraordinary attack on the press overshadowing their African tour, and the ongoing controversy over Prince Andrew’s friendship with accused sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
But royal sources say Kate and William – who dropped Prince George, six, and Princess Charlotte, four, at school before they boarded their RAF flight to Pakistan – were determined to hold their heads up high and make their tour a success.
The pair put in many hours of work and preparation behind the scenes – with Diana, who tragically died in 1997 when William was 15, at
the forefront of their minds.
Tells the insider, “William remembers very clearly just how much his mother loved Pakistan and how moved she was by her visits. With that in mind, he and Kate decided they wanted to emulate her in every way possible. Kate even worked with her stylist to ensure her choice of outfits for the trip were modern versions of what Diana wore all those years earlier. It was a wonderful tribute.”
The source reveals that William, who has remained close to many of his mother’s friends, invited former aides who worked alongside her to Kensington Palace, where he and Kate spent hours mining them for information.
“They were determined to honour her memory in the best way possible,” says the source. “Some of Diana’s most trusted friends, including Sir Elton John, advised the couple in the lead-up to the tour with words of wisdom, and specific sp details about the lengths len she’d go to embrace a culture c and make everyone she sh met feel so special.”
They also talked with her he former private secretary Patrick Pa Jephson on many occasions to ensure they knew every detail of Diana’s missions. It was important to them that they continue her legacy, tells the source. And it was said to be the couple’s idea to spend time with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, knowing what a good friend he was to Diana over the years.
“One of William’s biggest goals in life is that his children will understand the impact their late grandmother had on the world,” explains the insider. “It still devastates William that they’ll never meet their gran, but he wants them to grow up feeling proud of her and keen to continue her amazing work.”
The Pakistan trip was also an opportunity to once again prove to the world how ready they are to take on the leadership of the monarchy when the time comes.
With Prince Harry and Meghan continuing to garner negative headlines, the Queen is said to be “deeply
relieved and grateful” for what she sees as “the steady hands” of the Cambridges.
“She knows they possess a special ability to connect with the public, while maintaining the dignity and traditions of the royal family,” reveals our source. “Kate is the closest the public have ever had to Diana, and the royal family is certainly richer for her being in it. William is so proud of how she’s carried herself, her diplomacy and how she’s become so loved.”
In fact, our source says that after all the stress of their falling out with Harry and Meghan, William and Kate’s relationship has never been stronger.
“They’re realising now that together they’re an incredibly powerful unit, and that perhaps they’re best going it on their own. They are looking ahead to the future and focusing on their children and their royal duty, and doing their best to step aside from negativity or scandal.”
But just last week, royal expert Camilla Tominey spoke out about the brothers’ damaged relationship, urging them to come together for the sake of the monarchy.
“I cannot help but think that now they are both parents, the royal brothers would be better served working closer together than increasingly apart.
“Yes, they have different paths to follow, with William and Kate stepping up to become the next Prince and Princess of Wales, and Harry and Meghan having different priorities further down the pecking order.
“But the royals work best when they work together. They were called the Fab Four for good reason.”