Kate dons headscarf for visit mosque - before couple follow make same visit as Diana
Duchess of Cambridge then donned a headscarf when she and Prince William visited a Mughal mosque in Lahore today.
Kate Middleton and William visit Badshahi Mosque
The couple went to the breathtaking Badshahi Mosque in the city, which can accommodate 56,000 worshippers. Set in the heart of the Walled City, it stands to to the west of the historic Lahore Fort, which was built by the Emperor Aurangzebn in 1671. Kate and William were invited to take off their shoes as the Duchess, who had changed over lunch into a green shalwar kameez by Maheen Khan, pulled her scarf respectfully into position.
The couple then walked through the courtyard towards the mosque, the most iconic place of worship in the bustling Punjabi city.
Inside they were given a brief history of the building before being invited to sit down cross legged with a group of religious leaders and specialists for a discussion with faith leaders to understand how they are promoting interfaith harmony within their communities.
As they sat down a prayer from the Holy Quran in Arabic was read out to which the couple listened intently.
Taking part in the discussion were:
Rt Rev Humphrey Sarfaraz Peters the moderator of the Church of Pakistan and the Bishop of Peshawar
Azahar Ali Abidi, a Shi’a academic
Ramesh Singh, a Sikh and member of the Pakistan Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee,
Dr Ramesh Kumar, Patron in Chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council, and
Dr Ayesha Leghari, a Suni Muslim scholar.
William is understood to have asked a question of the group about how interfaith issues are promoted amongst young people.
Dr Ayesha Leghari said afterwards that the couple had been “interested and empathetic listeners”. She added: “You have people who are interested listeners and people who are also empathetic and they were very empathetic. We were really pleased. They were very responsive and very charming.”
William and Kate were welcomed to the mosque by Imam Abdul Kabir Azad and Britain’s Honorary Consul Fakir Aijaz Uddin, who accompanied them across the vast square - the size of 10 football pitches - leading to the central building.
Inside, the couple were introduced to a group of scholars and religious leaders sat down on cushions. The Imam told William that his son Hafiz Abdul Razaq had read the passage from the Quaran. William said, “We’ve been learning all about the family history.”
The session was moderated by Iona Thomas, l political counsellor at the British High Commission. “We talked about how each faith teach acceptance. Then, we talked about the history of Pakistan and how when it was founded,” she said.
“We also talked about things that you can do to bring people together. The bishop talked about getting children to play cricket on mixed teams. And the Duke asked quite a lot of questions about what more can be done about religious tolerance.”
When they left they were told by Honorary Consul Fakir Aijaz Uddin: “If there’s one word to describe your visit it is ‘joy.’ You have radiated joy wherever you have been.”
William replied: “We are very happy people.”