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Royal visit: Prince Charles and Camilla to arrive in Singapore on Monday

SINGAPORE — Britain’s Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, will be in Singapore on a four-day visit from Monday (Oct 30), and will be visiting the National Gallery, the National Orchid Garden, as well as attend an interfaith dialogue and a literacy event, among other activities during their stay here.

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla will be hosted to an official dinner by President Halimah Yacob at the Istana. They will also meet with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Photo: AP

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla will be hosted to an official dinner by President Halimah Yacob at the Istana. They will also meet with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Photo: AP

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SINGAPORE — Britain’s Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, will be in Singapore on a four-day visit from Monday (Oct 30), and will be visiting the National Gallery, the National Orchid Garden, as well as attend an interfaith dialogue and a literacy event, among other activities during their stay here.

The heir to the British throne last visited Singapore in 1979, when he was hosted by then-President Benjamin Sheares.

This time, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall will be hosted to an official dinner by President Halimah Yacob at the Istana, where they will receive a ceremonial welcome on Tuesday morning. They will also meet with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

The British royals’ itinerary will focus on “their interests in the arts, heritage conservation, and interfaith relations”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Sunday (Oct 29), adding that the visit “reaffirms the historic and long-standing relationship between Singapore and the United Kingdom”.

Among the activities he will be doing on his visit here, Prince Charles will attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the Cenotaph in memory of the Commonwealth soldiers who had fought in the two World Wars, and conduct an interfaith dialogue with some 24 religious leaders of 10 religious groups here at the Harmony Centre.

Meanwhile, the Duchess of Cornwall will separately visit Temasek Junior College (TJC), where she will attend a Commonwealth literacy event and meet with Tan Wan Gee, a 15-year-old TJC student who received the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition award from her at the Buckingham Palace last year.

On Wednesday afternoon, the royal couple will visit the National Orchid Garden at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, where an orchid will be named in their honour.

Later that day, Senior Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Sim Ann will host them on a tour of the National Gallery. Besides viewing the artworks, they will also be briefed on how the building, which was the former City Hall and Supreme Court, was conserved and redeveloped.

Singapore is the first stop of the royal couple’s 11-day Southeast Asia and India tour. On Thursday, they head to Malaysia, where they will celebrate 60 years of diplomatic ties since the former British colony became independent.

Prior to Prince Charles’ upcoming official visit, Queen Elizabeth had made three state visits to Singapore, in 1972, 1989 and 2006. On her last trip, she stayed at the Raffles Hotel, and visited the National Library and Toa Payoh estate, as well as presented the Queen Elizabeth II Cup at the Singapore Turf Club.

In 2014, Dr Tony Tan became the first Singapore president to make a state visit to the UK, in which Queen Elizabeth hosted him to a state banquet and a private luncheon.

More recently, Prince Harry made his first trip to Singapore in May this year, where he participated in a charity polo competition.

In 2012, Prince William and wife, Kate, made a three-day official visit here as part of a nine-day Southeast Asian and Pacific tour. While here, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also laid a wreath at the Kranji War Memorial, and visited Gardens by the Bay and Queenstown housing estate, which was named after Queen Elizabeth II to mark her coronation.

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