The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in Pakistan - Part 1
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge began their Tour of Pakistan on Monday. They arrived in Islamabad Monday and were greeted by the Foreign Minister and the Pakistan Honor Guard. They are reported to have dropped off their two oldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte at school on Monday morning before travelling all day to arrive at Nur Khan Airbase. The visit will focus on climate change, early years, community and the best of modern Pakistani culture.
During their first full day in Pakistan the Duke and Duchess visited the Model School for Girls in Islamabad to learn about some of the initiatives in place to help improve education, especially for girls. The Teach for Pakistan initiative is modeled after the UK's Teach First scheme which is a fast track teaching programme that focuses on the quality of teaching, especially for underserved or underprivileged communities.
Prince William and Catherine then met some students from Kindergarten to sixth form to learn more about how students are benefitting from the Teach for Pakistan initiative. The Duke and Duchess also highlighted the benefits of higher education and professional careers for girls.
The Duke and Duchess then visited the Margalla Hills and participated in an activity that teaches young people about the importance of environmentalism and conservation of the environment. Activities included helping young people identify and remove species that have a negative effect on the environment, bird watching and storytelling to highlight and discuss local environmental issues.
They then undertook some more governmental visits to meet with the Prime Minister and the President of Pakistan. Pakistan's Prime Minister, Imran Khan was a former cricketer and knew the late Princess of Wales. It was reported that over twenty years ago, when Imran Khan was still a cricket player he told Diana, Princess of Wales that he wanted to be Prime Minister one day. It seems incredibly fitting that on his first official visit to the Country, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge would meet with him as Prime Minister.
Following their meeting with Imran Khan, they visited the Presidential Palace to meet the President of Pakistan, Dr. Arif Alvi. The President's wife, Samina Alvi was also in attendance and after learning about Samina's efforts for Breast Cancer Awareness, the Duke and Duchess suggested they all take a photo with the pink ribbons.
To finish off their incredibly busy day, William and Catherine attended an event at the Pakistan National Monument. The vent celebrated the best of Pakistan's rich culture from business, creative arts, music, film and government. The Duke gave a speech honoring Pakistani's that have been lost to terror and hatred as well as paying tribute to those who have endured such hardships and continue to work towards a peaceful and prosperous Pakistan.
I will post the next two days of the Pakistan tour as soon as I am able. xx