Royal couple's Singapore trip Day 1: Prince Charles, Camilla visit Cenotaph war memorial

Prince Charles and Camilla were welcomed by Singapore President Halimah Yacob at the Istana on October 31.

Prince Charles and Camilla Parker
Reuters File Photo

The members of British Royal Family, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla began their Southeast Asia trip starting from Singapore. Interestingly, Charles and Camilla arrived in Singapore separately, and they united in the airport with a rare public kiss. Charles flew into Singapore on an RAF Voyager flight while the Duchess of Cornwall directly reached Singapore from her private holiday.

This is for the third time that Charles and Camilla were seen spotted kissing in public. Previously, they were spotted kissing during a Somerset reception in 2001 followed by another act of intimacy at a polo match in 2005.

Singapore's elegant welcome

Prince Charles and Camilla reached Singapore at around 10.30 AM. The couple received the ceremonial welcome at the Istana Grounds. President of Singapore Halimah Yacob welcomed the couple to the Singaporean soil and guided Prince Charles to inspect the Guard of Honor.

After the welcome ceremony, Prince Charles and Halimah Yacob had a talk at Istana, the Presidential Palace. Halimah's husband Mohammed Abdullah Alhabshee was also present at the Istana during the talk. After the talk, Prince Charles and Camilla posed for a photo with Halimah and Mohammed Abdullah.

After the meeting with Halimah, Prince Charles and Camille met Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and wife Mdm Ho Ching. The British Prince also conducted a brief strategic talk with the Singapore Prime Minister.

The wreath-laying ceremony

After spending a couple of hours at the Istana, Prince Charles, and Camilla moved to Cenotaph to attend the wreath-laying ceremony. The wreath laying ceremony was meant to honour the brave soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and II. At the Cenotaph war memorial, Prince Charles and Camilla also met the war veterans and even interacted with students from participating schools.

The British Royal couples will be honoured with a state banquet on Tuesday, October 31 evening. As per reports, several top officials in the Singapore administration will attend the event.

This is the maiden visit of Camilla to Singapore, while Prince Charles is visiting the country for the second time. Prior to the visit, the Singapore Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying the visit by Prince Charles will help reaffirm the historic and long-standing relationship between Singapore and Britain within the ambit of the British Commonwealth.

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