For the next two days, the island down South will be rubbing shoulder with royalties. Real royalties.
As part of their Asia Pacific tour to commemorate Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee this year, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Will and Kate are in Singapore.
The couple, who are representing Queen Elizabeth II, arrived early yesterday. The first thing on their itinerary was to visit the Singapore Botanical Gardens to smell the roses orchids.
His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge and Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge were then introduced to an orchid named after them, Vanda William Catherine.
The plant is a beautiful free-flowering orchid hybrid (Vanda First and Last x Vanda Motes Toledo Blue) and each flowering spray can grow to 25 to 35 centimetres in length, bearing up to 10 blooms.
The royal couple also viewed two other orchids, Dendrobium Queen Elizabeth II and Dendrobium Memoria Princess Diana. Dendrobium Queen Elizabeth II was named after Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II during her Singapore Botanical Gardens in 1972. Dendrobium Memoria Princess Diana was named in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997.
Will and Kate later attended a reception and state dinner at Singapore’s Istana, where they met the Prime Minister, the President, and other Singaporean and British VIPs. William also made a short speech at dinner on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II.
Tomorrow, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expected to see more of Singapore before their next stop – Malaysia!
