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Duchess Of Cambridge And Prince William Arrive In India: Kate Wows In Not One But Two Red Dresses

By Sara Hunter Smith
Published on: 23:36 PST, Apr 9, 2016

The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William have arrived in Mumbai for their official tour of India and Bhutan. The royal couple have already carried out a few engagements in the sultry heat, despite only just arriving in India. Their packed itinerary has included visiting the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, playing cricket with local children and riding around Mumbai in a bus.

The first pictures of the Duchess showed her looking absolutely stunning in a stylish red dress by legendary designer Alexander McQueen. The dress seamlessly blended Kate’s favorite British designer with an Asian influence. The classic dress was a traditional yet timeless paisley “Persian pickles” pattern, with “a skirt split at the front over a black underskirt.”

As reported by the Telegraph, the royal couple arrived in Mumbai on Sunday for their visit to the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. The Taj Mahal Palace was the scene of a terrorist attack in 2008. In the bombing, 31 staff and guests were killed, “as well as the hotel’s Labrador guard dog, Lucy.” The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be using the Taj Mahal Palace as a base for their visit to the region.

The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William laid a wreath of white lilies at a memorial in the hotel atrium. There were 32 white candles to remember each of the victims. They also spoke to Sunil Kudyadi, “who called the police and security services to the scene and helped save guests’ lives. The Duke told him: ‘You’re very brave, you saved a lot of lives. Well done.'”

The wreath bore a simple message from the royal couple.

“In memory of those who lost their lives and those injured in the senseless atrocities at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. William, Catherine.”

Watch the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William at the memorial in the Taj Mahal Palace below.

After they chatted to hotel staff and had lunch, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge moved on to meet workers from “Magic Bus, Doorstep, and India’s Childline,” notes the International Business Times. Kate and William went to the Oval Maidan cricket ground to watch a charity match involving the children and local dignitaries. The Duchess got involved herself, playing games with children before the official match.

The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William had changed clothes for their afternoon outdoors. Kate wore a “long, floaty patterned dress by Mumbai designer Anita Dongre,” reports the Mirror. The dress, in a floral pattern with varying shades of reds, pinks, and greens, was teamed with casual wedges.

The ensemble looked like the perfect outfit for an afternoon of cricket and games. Prince William had dressed down his blue suit from earlier and was now wearing a “white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, navy chinos, brown suede boots and sunglasses.” Among the guests was cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar, who played a few games with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

After the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William have finished at the Oval Maidan, they will go to the Mumbai slums to meet more charity workers and the children they help. However, they first had a tour of Mumbai in an open-topped double decker bus “decorated with tinsel and balloons to welcome the royal riders,” notes the Mirror. The royal couple were accompanied by children in the bus and looked like they were having a wonderful time.

The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William will attend a star-studded Bollywood gala this evening, organized by the charity British Asian Trust. Kate will likely wear a dress in keeping with the glittering style of the Indian film industry. The Telegraph reports that among those meeting the royal couple will be “Shah Rukh Khan – King Khan to fans – and former Miss World, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who forms one half of Bollywood’s ultimate power couple with husband Abhishek Bachchan.” Bollywood royalty Shilpa Shetty is also hoping to attend.

[Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images]

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