After attending the exquisite State Banquet at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday evening, there was no rest for The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on Wednesday as they paid a visit to Lancaster House with Chinese President, Xi Jinping, and his wife, Madame Peng Liyuan. The theme of Wednesday’s visit to Lancaster House was creative collaborations between the UK and China.
Upon their arrival to Lancaster House, as part of a cultural exchange, William and Kate as well as the President and Madame Peng were greeted with a warm applause from the gathered guests. The first port of call for the quartet was to watch a video highlighting the relationship between the UK and China after which they met with legendary Kung-Fu film actor, Jackie Chan, and even posed for a photo with the star.
Lancaster House is located in the St James’s district in the West End of London and is relatively close to St James’s Palace. The mansion is managed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and is now often used for government receptions or events and is closed to the public, aside from a few rare open days.
Following their photo call with Jackie Chan, William and Kate and President Xi and Madame Peng were treated to a short performance from West End hit, Matilda, in the lobby of Lancaster House. The entertainment didn’t stop there as after Matilda, the royal couple and presidential party were treated to some traditional Chinese singing and dancing and President Xi was presented with a specially commissioned BAFTA artwork from Prince William.
As the theme of the event was creative collaboration between the UK and China, Lancaster House was abundant with various stands from a whole host of companies and institutions all showcasing their products and services. A black cab, London red bus and an Aston Martin sports-car enthralled the visitors at the St James’s mansion. Aston Martin have just recently unveiled a £50 million deal with China Equity to develop its zero emission RapidE sports car while British bus builder Alexander Dennis Limited is to join forces with Chinese firm BYD.
Stepping out of Lancaster House following the cultural exchange event, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge bid a fond farewell to President Xi Jinping and Madame Peng Liyuan.
The Chinese President then headed to Downing Street for talks with Prime Minister David Cameron. As the Chinese State Visit continues, The Duke of York is expected to attend a number of engagements with President Xi before he departs the UK on Friday.
