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Kate Middleton And Prince William Recreate Princess Diana Taj Mahal Photo On India Trip

By Amy Feinstein
Published on: 07:49 PST, Apr 18, 2016

Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton are winding down their trip to India with a visit to the Taj Mahal to recreate one of the iconic photos of Prince William’s mother, Princess Diana, outside the Taj Mahal 25 years ago. Princess Diana was photographed alone outside the Taj Mahal in 1992, looking lonely, without the company of Prince Charles, while the new photo of Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton show them as a united couple.

According to the Inquisitr, Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton have been participating in a variety of meet-and-greets, including one at a wildlife preserve where they bottle-fed baby animals who were orphaned or maimed by poachers. The couple also recently visited Bhutan on this trip.

The Irish Independent is reporting that the sadness that was portrayed in the Princess Diana photo is being erased by the obvious happiness shared between the young royal couple, Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton. Four years after the photograph of Princess Diana was taken outside of the Taj Mahal, Princess Diana and Prince Charles announced their divorce.

So a new photo was taken on the same marble bench where Princess Diana sat before, and the press was invited. The Associated Press shared that the royal couple, Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton, were briefed on a hot day in Agra about the Taj Mahal. They learned that the building was commissioned by the Mughal Emperor in the 17th century and includes the tomb of his favorite wife.

This was the last stop on the tour of India for Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton. The schedule dictated that the couple leave to return to London on Saturday night.

Vanity Fair said that Prince William and Princess Kate braved the searing heat to visit the bench now named for Princess Diana, Prince William’s mother. The Taj Mahal, which is considered a monument to love, has played a role in the British royal dialogue about the relationship between the prince and princess for a quarter century now.

Allegedly, the decision to revisit the photo was made on Saturday morning. Princess Kate Middleton wore a white dress by an Indian designer, and Prince William reportedly removed his Ray-Ban sunglasses to pose for the photo with his wife. Royal commentators described Prince William’s decision to take the memorable photo as brave. A source close to the couple said that Prince William wanted to visit the Taj Mahal for various reasons.

“They wanted to come to the Taj because it is one of the wonders of the world. The Duke is completely aware of the history of this place with his family, and he appreciates that a lot of people who come here have his mother in mind… But this is about the future for them, it’s about looking forward and creating new memories.”

Town and Country believes Prince William understands why the bench named for Princess Diana and the Taj Mahal as a monument are important to people in relation to his family history, and he wanted to make a quiet statement by recreating the photo with his wife, Princess Kate Middleton. The photos which were taken on Saturday spoke loudly to those who remember the photos of Princess Diana, and see them as a silent scream about the sadness the princess felt at the time in her marriage to Prince Charles.

During the photo shoot, Prince William joked with the photographer about the way he was framing the picture.

“I hope you’ve got the symmetry right,” he remarked.

At the time Princess Diana was posing for the photo in front of the Taj Mahal, she was 30-years-old and in the process of separating from her husband. Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton are happily in a different place in their marriage. A source close to the prince explains that although he will no go on about it, the significance of the photos is not lost on him.

“He completely understands that people come to visit this place with his mother in mind,” but his spokesperson says that for Will and Kate, this photo was about “making new memories.”

The prince and the princess are now back in London, and the trip to India is considered a great success for the royal couple.

Do you think it was touching for Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton to recreate this photo in front of the Taj Mahal?

[Photo by Pool/Getty Images]

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