KeithBinns/iStock(ISLAMABAD) — Prince William and Duchess Kate followed in the footsteps of William’s late mom Princess Diana Tuesday as they continued their tour of Pakistan.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was a friend of Diana’s and hosted her in the country when she visited in the 1990s.
Diana’s memory also came up when William and Kate met with school children on the second day of their five-day tour of Pakistan.
A group of young female students told Prince William they were big fans of his mother. The prince replied, “I was a big fan of my mother too.”
Princess Diana died in August 1997, just months after she made a third visit to Pakistan to help raise money for a local hospital.
William and Kate plan to visit that hospital, the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital, later this week.
“Pakistan was hugely important to Diana and the fact that Will and Kate are here shows that they want to continue her legacy,” said ABC News contributor Robert Jobson.
William and Kate, who are traveling without their three children, are also highlighting issues important to them, including young people and conservation.
Their visit to Islamabad Model College Tuesday put a spotlight on the inequity of education in Pakistan, where 49% of girls are out of school, according to Kensington Palace.
The duke and duchess met with women studying to become educators through Teach for Pakistan, described as a “fast-track teacher training program.”
William and Kate also joined kids in a national park in the foothills of the Himalayas to spotlight the work Pakistan is doing to meet sustainable development goals and educate the next generation on environmental protection, according to Kensington Palace.
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