British royal couple lunches with Indian prime minister.

By Samoa Observer 13 April 2016, 12:00AM

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge joined Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a private lunch Tuesday at a former palace in New Delhi.

Before going indoors, Prince William and his wife, the former Kate Middleton, strolled on either side of Modi, chatting and smiling before posing for cameras. Kate wore a full-sleeved gauze green dress, while William donned a blue suit and Modi was clad neck-to-toe in white.

The four-course meal, including vegetarian dishes as well as meat, was served as Indian classical musician Rahul Sharma played the santoor, similar to a dulcimer. Sharma included in his performance a rendition of the Beatles' "Let It Be," according to Indian media. Other guests included several Cabinet ministers and business leaders.

Also on Tuesday, the British royal couple met with a group of Indian women to hear about what's being done in the country to help young women facing domestic abuse, discrimination or public assault.

One activist, Laxmi Agarwal, told William and Kate about her campaign called "Stop Acid Attacks," explaining that she had decided to stop covering her face to hide her own scars in order to encourage other victims not to hide, according to Kensington Palace. Agarwal was 15 when she was attacked by an older man after she rejected his marriage proposal.

Prince William thanked her for her bravery, the palace said.

The royal couple is in India for a weeklong tour. They've already visited Mumbai, and traveled later Tuesday to a wildlife park in the northeastern state of Assam that is home to various endangered animals.

They will also take a one-day trip to neighboring Bhutan at the invitation of the Himalayan kingdom's King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema.

William and Kate will then head back to India, where they'll wind up their tour with a visit to the Taj Mahal, retracing the steps of a 1992 visit to the monument of love by William's mother, the late Princess Diana.

The couple are traveling without their two children — 2 1/2-year-old Prince George and 11-month-old Princess Charlotte. They had taken George to Australia with them in 2014 on their last royal tour.

By Samoa Observer 13 April 2016, 12:00AM
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