ISLAMABAD: Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, donned a traditional kurta on Tuesday as she and Prince William met children at an Islamabad school during the first day of their Pakistan visit.
Kate dazzled crowds as she stepped out in the traditional blue kurta and scarf by local designer Maheen Khan, while William opted for a casual shirt and trousers to stay cool in the Pakistan heat, The Daily Mail reported.
The British royal couple, who arrived in Islamabad on Monday night accompanied by their three children, pulled up tiny chairs so they could sit and chat to the students in their classroom at the Islamabad Model College for Girls.
The visit is designed to champion the importance of quality education, and highlight how girls benefit from pursuing higher education and professional careers.
The couple’s next engagement is at the Margalla Hills National Park, north of Islamabad, where security officials were seen tightening up operations this morning in preparation.
Continuing the theme of education, the couple will also children from three local schools in hills, which sits in the foothills of the Himalayas.
William and Kate are also due to have lunch with Prime Minister Imran Khan and attend a special reception at the National Monument later in the day, The Daily Mail reported.
Security personnel from the UK with the assistance of local forces, paramilitary troops and police will be providing security to the visiting royal couple during their five-day stay in Pakistan.
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.
This visit comes after William’s father Charles, the Prince of Wales, and the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla Parker-Bowles, had travelled to Pakistan in 2006 to visit the areas devastated by the October 8, 2005 earthquake.
The other royal visits to Pakistan include two undertaken by Prince William’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth (in 1961 and again in 1997), and three by his late mother, Princess Diana (1991, 1996 and 1997).