The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will pay tribute to the victims of the 2008 terror attacks on Mumbai during their official tour of India in April. As a sign of solidarity, William and Kate will stay in the Taj Palace Hotel, one of the sites attacked by gunmen during the atrocity, in which 164 innocent people died.
The hotel, which has also hosted the Prince of Wales and President Obama, is now an iconic symbol of the city's resilience and strength and the Duke and Duchess will lay a wreath at a memorial inside the hotel and meet members of staff who helped protect guests during the attack.
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrince William and Kate will stay at the Taj Palace hotel in Mumbai
After a whirlwind first day featuring a trip to the cricket and a visit to a slum in the city, William and Kate will hit the red carpet in style, meeting some of India's top film talent and enjoying colourful dancing, music and fashion at a glamorous reception and dinner.
The royal couple will learn about the sprawling city's budding young entrepreneurs the next day, before jetting to the capital New Delhi for an official welcome from the country's political leaders.
There, they will have a private tour of the home of the legendary Independence leader Mahatma Gandhi before attending a Garden Party in honour of the Queen's 90th Birthday at the British Embassy.
© Photo: RexThe hotel was one of the sites targeted in the Mumbai terror attacks
More details on the Duke and Duchess's much-anticipated tour were released by Kensington Palace as royal watchers counted down to their arrival in Asia. From Delhi, William and Kate will travel to Kaziranga National Park in Assam, where they'll enjoy the Bohag Bihu festival, the celebration of the Assamese New Year and sit around a camp fire in the woods.
Kaziranga, a World Heritage Site, is home to elephants, water buffalo, the endangered swamp deer, a high density of tigers and two-thirds of the world's population of one-horned rhinos. William and Kate will tour the park in an open-topped Jeep and hear how rangers are protecting animals from poachers and the illegal wildlife trade. They will also call in on the Mark Shand Foundation, which supports the Elephant Family charity set up by the late brother of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
WILLIAM AND KATE'S FULL ROYAL TOUR ITINERARY
From there the royals will fly to Paro in the remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. They will be greeted in the capital Thimpu with flower garlands, and enjoy a spectacular procession before spending private time with King Jigme Wangchuk and Queen Jetsun Pema inside the stunning Thimpu Dzong monastery.
William and Kate will also take in Bhutan's national sport – archery – and trek to 3,000m altitude to tour the iconic, clifftop Tiger's Nest monastery in the city of Paro. The final day of their tour could bring one of the most striking images of the tour, as they leave Bhutan to return to India and its most famous landmark.
A royal spokesman said: "The Duke and Duchess are incredibly grateful to have this opportunity to travel to these two beautiful countries.
"The tour will see The Duke and Duchess interact with people from all walks of life, from people in very difficult circumstances, to aspiring and established business leaders, well-known cultural figures, inspiring conservationists, leading politicians, and of course other Royals.
"As you can see this is going to be a hugely exciting and rewarding tour. Their Royal Highnesses are very much looking forward to it."
