Prince follows in footsteps of mother on tour

Royals: William visits same mosque as Diana in 1991

‘VERY HAPPY PEOPLE’: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during their visit to Badshahi Mosque in Lahore The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have made a visit to the Badshahi mosque in scenes that brought back memories of the duke’s late mother Diana, Princess of Wales.

William and Kate were given a tour of Badshahi Mosque in Lahore on the fourth day of their royal tour of Pakistan.

Kate wore an emerald green headscarf with a gold trim and a matching shalwar kameez by Maheen Khan during the couple’s visit to the second-largest mosque in Pakistan.

Walking in with Imam Abdul Kabir Azad and the Honorary Consul to the UK Fakir Aijazuddin, the duchess had bare feet, while the duke wore black socks with his cream suit.

Diana visited the religious site in 1991, on one of her visits to the Islamic country.

It was also included in the 2006 royal tour of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.

William and Kate walked on a red carpet through the holy building with the imam before being given a tour of the inside, where they heard a Koranic verse.

The couple were invited to sit down cross-legged after being introduced to a group of scholars and religious leaders, who were sitting on cushions, for a discussion on promoting interfaith harmony among communities.

Among the group was Dr Ayesha Leghari, a Sunni Muslim scholar, who explained the verse to them.

“I was telling then how it is compulsory for us to respect other religions,” Dr Leghari told reporters afterwards.

“God sent a messenger to every part of the globe and peace is to be attained through the process of growth.

“(William and Kate) were interested in finding out about how the youth thought about interfaith interactions.”

She added that the couple were “charming” and interested and engaged in the discussion.

When William and Kate left the mosque, they were told by Mr Aijazuddin: “If there’s one word to describe your visit, it is joy. You have radiated joy wherever you have been.”

The duke replied: “We are very happy people.” ● ● ● ●

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