London: Britain’s Prince Charles will arrive Wednesday in New Delhi for a two-day visit to India, the focus of which would be on enduring UK-India ties and shared global challenges such as sustainability and climate change.
This would mark the 10th official Indian visit of the heir to the British throne, who will undertake varied engagements including a bilateral meeting with President Ram Nath Kovind and also celebrate his 71st birthday in India.
“The visit will honour the past, celebrate the present and look forward to a joint future driven by an innovative and responsible focus on shared challenges,” said Sir Dominic Asquith, the British High Commissioner to India here Monday.
“His Royal Highness will witness how India makes use of innovation to respond to natural disasters and how its clean technology is helping deal with the challenges of climate change. Prince Charles will celebrate our strong cultural links and experience the warm hospitality that diverse religious communities in India have to offer,” added Asquith.
During the visit, Prince Charles will participate in a discussion on how to strengthen disaster resilience and tackle the effects of climate change at the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).
Prince Charles will also visit a gurdwara to celebrate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev and mark the contribution of the Sikh community in the UK. He will then attend a military service to commemorate the sacrifices of soldiers from India, the United Kingdom and across the Commonwealth in World War One and World War Two.
The royal, who will mark his 71st birthday Thursday while in Thursday, will present a Commonwealth ‘Points of Light’ award to an Indian winner for her exemplary contribution to the field of social development that involves upliftment of disabled children, family counselling and therapy sessions.
“His (Prince Charles) many visits to India and his enduring interest in promoting our common interests is another example of the living bridge between the United Kingdom and India,” informed Asquith.
Prince Charles had last visited India as part of a joint official tour with wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, to Brunei, India, Singapore and Malaysia in November 2017.
PTI
