TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall hosted a reception for members of British Indian and British Sri Lankan communities ahead of their Autumn tour to various regions in India and Sri Lanka. The reception took place in the St James’s Palace State Apartments, London. Also in attendance were The Acting High Commissioner for India, HE Dr. Virander Paul and The High Commissioner for Sri Lanka, HE Dr. Chris Nonis; Ambassadors of The British Asian Trust as well various individuals from the worlds of business, politics, sport, entertainment and the media. BAT Ambassador Sanjeev Bhasker OBE, welcomed guests as they arrived and thanked both HRH The Prince of Wales and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall for their ongoing interest in the region.
Hari Dhillon, of BBC Holby City, actress Preeya Kalidas, comedian Nina Wadia and film director Gurinder Chadha were also in attendance. To round off a spectacular event, TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall were treated to a special performance by Kandan Sri Lankan drummers and a live performance by BAT Ambassador Navin Kundra. Navin shared a very special moment with HRH The Prince of Wales, by encouraging him to say the word Mehbooba (beloved) to HRH The Duchess of Cornwall in front of a delighted crowd, before performing the song live.
Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will make a nine day visit to India next month before moving on to Sri Lanka where The Prince will represent Her Majesty The Queen at the 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). This will be Their Royal Highnesses third official visit to India together. They will undertake a broad range of engagements to promote the strong UK-India partnership in key areas such as conservation, education, growing business links, women’s empowerment and training. They will also have the opportunity to celebrate religious diversity, creativity and the vibrant individual family ties between the two countries.
In their most extensive visit to India to date, The Prince and The Duchess will travel to Dehradun, New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Kochi where they will meet India’s top political, business and cultural leaders.
While in Sri Lanka, The Prince and The Duchess will also carry out a programme of official engagements including a visit to a mental health initiative, a hospital and a tea estate. The Prince last visited in 2005 in the aftermath of the Boxing Day tsunami.
About The British Asian Trust
The British Asian Trust meets crucial needs in South Asia. Founded in 2007 by HRH The Prince of Wales, The Trust has already touched the lives of more than 1 million people in the poorest communities. The British Asian Trust does this by investing in high-impact local charities known to deliver lasting change, transforming lives through education, health and livelihood initiatives that generate self-sufficiency. It serves as a ‘social fund’ to support high impact charities within the areas of education, enterprise and health in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the UK. The British Asian Trust is a UK registered charity (1127366), and the 20th member of The Prince’s Charities.
Visit www.britishasiantrust.org for further information.