Duke and Duchess of Cambridge begin tour of Pakistan at Islamabad

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived in Pakistan tonight on what has been described as the most ‘complex and challenging’ international tour of their fledging royal careers.

Arriving at the Nur Khan air base in Rawalpindi just after 9.30pm the smiling royal couple were accorded a red-carpet reception as they left the British Government’s RAF Voyager plane together

They were met by a group of dignitaries and two young children in traditional dress who were pushed forwards to present Kate with a beautiful bouquet.

The duchess looked elegant in an aqua shalwar kameez – a traditional Pakistani outfit comprised of a flared kurti, a long shirt, and trousers – by British designer Catherine Walker.

It echoed many of the outfits worn in the country by William’s late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, and was a respectful nod to tradition in the Muslim country.   

More than 1,000 Pakistani police officers have been deployed to secure the couple’s safety during their travels across the country. All details of their engagements will be released by the palace on the day for security reasons. 

William and Kate were greeted by Pakistan’s foreign minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, and his wife at the Pakistani Air Force base in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, on Monday evening.

After their official welcome, William and Kate headed off in a heavily-guarded convoy to their base for the week, the High Commissioner’s official residence in the capital, Islamabad.

William was expected to spend the evening working on a major speech to be delivered tomorrow in which he is set to highlight the ‘unique bonds’ between the two countries, particularly the 1.5 million people of Pakistani origin living in the UK.

The couple’s presence in Pakistan – the first royal visit since Charles and Camilla undertook a lengthy tour in 2006 – has sparked a major security operation involving more than 1,000 local police officers due to the ongoing threat of militant terrorism in the Muslim-majority state.

Pakistan has, in recent years, been damaged by allegations that the country’s military leadership have sponsored Taliban forces in neighbouring Afghanistan and turned a blind eye to support for Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was found living in a compound in Abbottabad in 2011.

It is hoped that a successful tour by the Cambridges will help Prime Minister Imran Khan’s efforts to restore his country’s reputation internationally.

The former international cricketer, who has known William since he was a child and was a friend of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, will be meeting with the couple this week.

William and Kate’s travels will span more than 700 miles, taking in both the cities of Islamabad and Lahore, as well as vast mountainous regions in the north and west of the country.

The trip has been designed to showcase the best modern Pakistan has to offer and emphasise the ongoing political, cultural, social and economic ties it enjoys with the UK, highlighting Britain’s continuing role on the international stage away from the Brexit crisis.

Rising tensions with India over the disputed region of Kashmir and continuing concerns over Islamic terror groups means that details of the couple’s engagements are being kept under wraps until the last possible moment.

But aides say the couple are still immensely looking forward to the ‘challenging’ visit, saying: ‘They are now in their late 30s and ready to take on these more complex and demanding tours on behalf of the British Government.’

The couple are keen to meet as many Pakistanis as possible – particularly young people – and highlight work being undertaken to improves access to education for girls and young women, climate change and the ‘complex’ security picture.

The visit will also no doubt prove to be an emotional one for the prince His late mother dated British-Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan for two years before her death In 1997. She famously visited the country with her friend Jemima Goldsmith, the British heiress who was then married to Imran Khan, to meet Hasnat’s family in 1996. 

Authorities in Delhi and Islamabad both claim the Himalayan region in full, but each controls a section of the territory, recognised internationally as ‘Indian-administered Kashmir’ and ‘Pakistan-administered Kashmir’.

Skirmishes between the two sides at the de-facto border have increased this year, causing troop and civilian casualties.

Pakistan has seen a number of security incidents in recent months, including a bombing outside a shrine in central Lahore, as well as an attack by armed militants on the Pearl Continental Hotel in Gwadar, Balochistan.

The tour, which wraps up on Friday, seeks to strengthen ties between the UK and Pakistan.

With Brexit looming, it comes as London hopes to bolster its international relationships, while Islamabad is keen to promote itself as a tourist destination amid concerns over security and violence in the region.

It will span more than 620 miles of the country, including the capital Islamabad, the city of Lahore, the mountainous countryside in the north and border regions to the west. 

Their itinerary includes a range of occasions and locations.

William and Kate are expected to meet leaders from government and well-known cultural figures and sporting stars, as well as visiting programmes which empower young people.

They will also cover how communities in Pakistan are responding and adapting to climate change, and are due to spend time understanding the ‘complex security picture’ of the region.

Their tour of Pakistan comes more than 13 years since the last royal visit, seen as one of the most perilous royal foreign tours for some time, when the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall travelled to the country in 2006. 

William are following in the footsteps of both his parents, as Diana, Princess of Wales, made the journey several times through her charity work.

An image of the Princess cuddling a gravely ill seven-year-old boy was among Diana’s favourites and she kept a copy of it always.

It was taken amid the chaos of a Pakistan cancer hospital in 1996 and was a reflex action on her part. 

The little boy did not once look at her because he was blind and had just weeks to live.

To Diana, the picture represented everything about how she wished to be seen: compassionate and ready to break down the barriers of protocol.

The Princess visited the country three times, once when married to Prince Charles and twice more after her separation when she was in love with the Pakistan-born heart surgeon Hasnat Khan.

At the time, she was considering marriage to him and even moving to his homeland.

During her trips, she would slip away privately to meet his family but there will be no such cloak-and-dagger antics for Prince William.

It is far more likely that he and Kate will follow the template of Diana’s 1991 tour, her first solo visit representing the Queen to a Commonwealth country.

The couple have left their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, at home during their visit.