Royal Watch News

William and Catherine arrive in Singapore

Sep 11, 2012, 12:01 GMT

Duchess Catherine arriving in Singapore

Britain's Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived in Singapore this morning (11.09.12) as they began their nine-day visit to South East Asia.

Prince William and Duchess Catherine are marking Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee year with an official trip and they began it with a visit to the country's Botanic Gardens.

While they were there, the royal couple were shown an orchid named after William's late mother, Princess Diana, which she never got a chance to see.

Diana died in a Paris car crash in August 1997 just weeks before she was due to visit the National Orchid Garden to see the bloom, and William was overheard praising the orchid, saying: 'It's beautiful.'

Earlier the royal couple were greeted at Singapore Changi airport by Maliki Osman, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Defence.

He said: 'It's a great honour to have them here in Singapore, for them to be starting their tour here.'

The couple will receive an official guard of honour welcome at Istana, the official residence of President Tony Tan Keng Yam, before having an informal meeting with the Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Following the formal welcome, a state reception and dinner will be held in their honour.

During their trip, William and Catherine - who was known as her maiden name Kate Middleton prior to the couple's nuptials last year - will visit Malaysia, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.