The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended a reception at the Aga Khan Centre in London ahead of their royal tour of Pakistan later this month.
Hosted by His Highness the Aga Khan, the reception was organised with the High Commission to Pakistan to highlight Pakistani culture and included William and Kate meeting with community leaders, business representatives, artists, artisans, performers and chefs who represent the country they will visit from 14 to 18 October.
Embed from Getty Images“It was wonderful to be part of today’s event hosted by His Highness the Aga Khan in cooperation with His Excellency the High Commissioner of Pakistan,” said Matt Reed, CEO of the Aga Khan Foundation (UK).
“For over a century, the AKDN has worked towards the sustained improvement of quality of life in Pakistan, through schools, health centres, civil society, and more. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were interested to learn about our work, ahead of their official visit to Pakistan later this month.”
Some of the invited guests, per the Ismaili Imamat website, included “writer Shazia Mirza, conceptual artist Rasheed Araeen, MasterChef winner Saliha Mahmoud Ahmed, comedian Adil Ray, recording artist Shahid Khan, and award-winning architect Saira Hussain.”
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Aga Khan is the Imam and spiritual leader of the world’s Ismaili Muslims and is the 49th in a line of hereditary leaders. He became the Aga Khan in 1957 following his grandfather’s death.
“Today’s event celebrated the longstanding relationship between the Ismaili Imamat at the British Royal Family,” said Naushad Jivrag, President of the Ismaili Council for the UK in a press release on the Ismaili’s official website.
“It was an honour to welcome Their Royal Highnesses to the Aga Khan Centre. Today, the Ismaili community is present in various countries of the Commonwealth, including the UK, where we are making a significant contribution to civil society.”
The Duke and Duchess also met with schoolchildren from the nearby King’s Cross Academy before departing.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Royal Family Twitter announced that the Cambridges’ tour itinerary would be released later this week.
