The Duke of York visits New Delhi
The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee will be marked with a series of visits to Commonwealth countries undertaken by members of the Royal Family in support of Her Majesty. Every Realm will be visited as well as other Commonwealth countries, Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories. Representing Her Majesty The Queen, The Duke of York travelled earlier this week to New Delhi, where he began a week-long visit to India, during which he will visit a number of the country’s most populous cities and travel to sites which hold historical significance for the two counties.
The Duke arrived in India on Sunday 29th April, when he attended dinner hosted by Sunhil Bharti Mittal, Founder, Chairman and Group CEO of Bharti Enterprises. His Royal Highness met Indian business leaders and was pleased to accept the good wishes of the Indian business community on behalf of The Queen.
On Monday morning, The Duke received a briefing from the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), which is working with The Department for International Development and Wellcome Trust to transform healthcare in India. His Royal Highness was given a demonstration of an innovative new tablet computer which will be used by primary healthcare providers across India to undertake heart tests, water quality testing and blood pressure monitoring at primary care centres.During a visit to the Delhi High Commission, His Royal Highness thanked staff for their hard work and opened Jubilee Walk, in commemoration of the Diamond Jubilee and his visit. This is the first road opened at the High Commission since The Queen opened Queen’s Walk during her 1997 State Visit.
Lunch, hosted by The High Commissioner at his Residence, provided an opportunity to recognise the growing ties between businesses in India and the United Kingdom. Senior members of the Indian Government and representative of the Indian business community joined The Duke of York to discuss the future of this important relationship.
In Madanpur Khader, His Royal Highness visited the Agragami Project to see first hand the work of British NGOs to support young men and women by improving their health, education, and access to family planning. The Duke first heard about the project in January this year at The World Economic Forum in Davos, where he met with Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund, who spoke about the excellent work being done in the city.
Later, His Royal Highness called on The Foreign Minister of India, Shri S.M. Krishna to discuss the bilateral relationship with India and explore how it can be strengthened and deepened in the future.
The day concluded with a reception, attended by guests from both the Indian and the British communities, at the High Commissioner’s residence to celebrate The Diamond Jubilee. The Duke of York toured an art exhibition by the Brownies of New Delhi and enjoyed a performance given by the British School in Delhi.