SUPPORT OUR JOURNALISM: Please consider donating to keep our website running and free for all - thank you!

British RoyalsPrince & Princess of Wales

The Cambridges in Pakistan: Kate’s words of praise for the RAF

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wrapped up their visit to Pakistan on Friday with a visit to the Army Canine Centre in Islamabad.

After two of their engagements were cancelled as a result of the bad weather on Thursday, which saw the couple unexpectedly spend the night in Lahore, the couple returned to Islamabad for their final engagement.

Embed from Getty Images

William and Kate, their Kensington Palace staffers who accompanied them, foreign ministry officials, and the members of the media who’d travelled to Lahore all stayed at the Pearl Continental Hotel on Thursday evening.

The couple had been due to visit a military base near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and fly over the Khyber Pass on Friday morning, but the engagements were cancelled.

In a short interview, Kate said that, “We were looked after so wonderfully by the RAF who did a great job. Hugely grateful to everyone.

“I think it was quite an adventure really, it was pretty bumpy up there. We were looked after so wonderfully by the RAF who did a great job liaising with everyone and got us home safely.”

At the Army Canine Centre, which is based on the UK program, the UK Defense Animal Training Centre, the couple saw how the program works, and watched as the dog handlers trained the dogs to recognise and scout explosive materials.

William and Kate were keen to see the dogs in action, and took two yellow Labrador puppies named Sky and Salto onto the agility course to see their progress.

Embed from Getty Images

Speaking to reporters at the Centre, William talked about the relationship between British and Pakistani programmes, saying that “What happens here in Pakistan directly correlates to what happens on the streets of the UK. We are involved with the Pakistanis for a very good reason, it will actually keep people safe back in the UK.”

He continued, “The whole week we have been hearing about security in Pakistan and it’s really brought home to Catherine and I the importance of the relationship between the UK and Pakistan.

“A lot of lives have been lost by the Pakistanis in securing large parts of this country over the years and those sacrifices from the Pakistanis should be acknowledged. It’s been a huge, huge undertaking for them.”

Following their visit to the Centre, William and Kate completed their visit to Pakistan and returned to the UK.

About author

Jess Ilse is the Assistant Editor at Royal Central. She specialises in the British, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish Royal Families and has been following royalty since Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee. Jess has provided commentary for media outlets in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Jess works in communications and her debut novel THE MAJESTIC SISTERS will publish in Fall 2024.