LAHORE: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are in Lahore on a one-day visit where they are scheduled to attend a host of events in Pakistan’s cultural capital.
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Upon their arrival in Lahore, Prince William and Kate Middleton were received by Governor Punjab Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar and Chief Minister Usman Buzdar at the airport.
Pak-UK ties and matters of mutual interest were discussed in the meeting that took place at the airport lounge.
The chief minister briefed them about the steps taken by the provincial government in poverty alleviation and the British government support in social sectors.
The visit will help deepen the ties between the two countries, said CM Buzdar.
CM Buzdar gifted a traditional stick made of olive wood and a painting to Prince William and a 'shawl' to Kate Middleton.
After their formal meeting with the Punjab chief minister and governor, the royal couple travelled to SOS Children Village where they met orphaned children.
Kate gave her first speech of the tour during the SOS visit where the royal guests also celebrated birthday of three children. To everyone's surprise, she spoke a few Urdu words as well.
"Aap sab ka shukria, aur aapko salgirah mubarak ho (thank you very much and happy birthday to you), " she said.
The Duke and Duchess next visited the National Cricket Academy, where they were welcomed by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ehsan Mani, PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan and other officials.
William and Kate met several international cricketers including Hasan Ali, Azhar Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sana Mir, Urooj Mumtaz, Ayesha Zafar and Waqar Younis.
The also played a game of cricket.
The Duke and Duchess paid a visit to Lahore’s iconic Mughal-era Badshahi Mosque, where they attended an event on religious tolerance.
The last engagement of the royals in the city is a visit to the Shaukat Khanum Hospital founded by Prime Minister Imran Khan and visited by Lady Diana in 1996.
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