It’s shaping up to be a busy year for the Duchess of Cambridge. Kate, who turns 34 Saturday, and Prince William will make an official trip to Bhutan, Kensington Palace today announced. The Duke and Duchess will travel to the Himalayan kingdom this spring to coincide with their tour of India.
It will be Kate’s fifth overseas tour, and promises to be one of the most exciting to date. William and Kate will meet Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, who took the throne in 2006 following the abdication of his father. He and his glamorous young wife, Queen Jetsun Pema, are expecting their first child this year.
The announcement signals a return to fuller public schedule for Kate, who kept things relatively low-key in 2015 before and after the birth of Princess Charlotte. While she carried out a handful of engagements after the birth of the princess, Palace aides say that the Duchess’s schedule for 2016 will be busy and that both she and the Duke are looking forward to their overseas trips.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte will stay behind in the U.K. where they will be looked after by their nanny, Maria Borrallo. Courtiers say it would be “too much” to take two young children on the action-packed tour.
In a statement issued this morning the Palace said: “The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will make an official visit to Bhutan this spring. . . . The visit is being carried out at the request of Her Majesty’s Government and will be the first time Their Royal Highnesses have visited the country.”
On Twitter, the Palace said their Royal Highnesses “look forward to following in the footsteps of previous generations of their family with their upcoming tours.” The Prince of Wales visited Bhutan in 1998, while the Duke of York was the last member of the House of Windsor to visit, in 2010.
While the final itinerary is still being confirmed William and Kate’s tour of India is also set to be memorable. It was 24 years ago when Princess Diana and Prince Charles visited India. At the time cracks in their marriage were beginning to show, but William and Kate, who seem happier than ever, are set to enjoy a wonderful tour taking in as many national sights as their itinerary allows.
