Their Highnesses Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, and Camilla Parker-Bowles, Duchess of Cornwall arrived in India for a two-day visit last week, at the final leg of their 10-day, four-nation tour including Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei. They arrived in the Capital as New Delhi suffers from a severe bout of smog. Prince Charles held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on wide-ranging issues, including strengthening bilateral cooperation. He also invited him to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to be held next year in the UK. Modi has already received a letter from the Queen inviting him to attend the meeting, Prince Charles was supposed to follow up the request by a personal invitation.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, “A relationship marked by mutual respect and string bonds of friendship. Prime Minister Modi welcomed Their Royal Highnesses, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall at Hyderabad House, wide ranging issues on strengthening bilateral cooperation were discussed.”
Speaking at the High Commissioner’s reception in New Delhi, Prince Charles said, “The Commonwealth, built as it is on a firm foundation of shared associations and values, offers us an unparalleled means to build bridges between our countries, and fairer societies within them, so that understanding and aspiration might be the inheritance of the generations that follow us.” He added, “Ladies and gentlemen, as I discussed with Prime Minister Modi when he was generous enough to host me for dinner, as the world’s largest democracy, India’s role in all of this could not be more crucial, nor her contribution to the Commonwealth more essential. In so many areas – such as Prime Minister Modi’s impressive and admirable focus on renewable energy – India offers a compelling example for others to follow.”
“The world can learn so much from India today as, indeed, it has done throughout history – and, ladies and gentlemen, as I have done myself throughout my own life.”
India and the UK have strong economic ties. Their current trade stands at USD 12.19 billion. India is the third-largest investor in the UK and the second-largest international job creator in the UK. The Indian diaspora in the UK is one of the largest ethnic minority communities there, with the 2011 census recording approximately 1.5 million people of Indian-origin in the UK, contributing 6 per cent to the country's GDP.
The royal couple were treated to artistic performances and music recitals. They also helped plant a Banyan tree to commemorate 70 years of the British Council in India. This was Prince Charles' ninth visit to India since 1975.
