Prince William wore a blazer, shirt and chinos, while Kate looked cool in a white knee length dress with blue prints by designer Naeem Khan as the mercury soared to 41-degree Celsius.
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In 1992, while her husband met with local businessmen, the Princess of Wales sat alone on a bench outside the spectacular marble mausoleum, the Taj Mahal.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton have been soaking in the vibrant colours of India and Bhutan. Princess Diana later died in a vehicle crash in Paris on August 31, 1997.
Diana’s solo visit to the 17th-century mausoleum – built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife – came to symbolise her unhappy marriage to Prince Charles. The couple spent around 45 minutes at the Taj strolling and taking in the beauty. The couple didn’t intentionally sit on the bench because of its associations with Diana.
Although the famous photo of Princess Diana is well-known worldwide, “for the Duke of Cambridge, his mother’s visit to the Taj Mahal is not a particularly strong memory at all”, a source revealed to People.
Indeed, the tour guide who showed Kate Middleton and William around the Taj Mahal told reporters that Kate was entranced by the romantic history of the Taj Mahal, and mentioned that Middleton thought the landmark was the ideal place to visit ahead of her wedding anniversary on April 29.
Rizvan, who was with the royals for over half an hour, said the body language of Prince William and his wife indicated they were “really happy to be there” and both were equally keen.
Kate said that that it had been “incredible learning about the romance of the building and its really lovely architecture”.
“It was very hot but they went around”, guide Lalit Chawla said.
The media is crafting the new photo at the Taj as a fresh narrative for the royals.
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The couple, travelling without their two young children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, then flew to northeastern India’s Assam state to visit Kaziranga National Park, which has two-thirds of the world’s population of Indian one-horned rhinos as well as endangered swamp deer.
