King Charles III and his love of the Indian Subcontinent
Charles III, King of England, had deep ties to the Indian subcontinent. He has made ten formal trips to India since 1975, is active in several Indian organisations, and just turned seventy-one in the city of Bengaluru. As the new monarch of the United Kingdom, he is also the leader of the Commonwealth, a group of 56 nations that includes India. The next queen has developed a deep affinity for India and its rich cultural heritage, including yoga and Ayurveda.
With its private army of 250,000, the East India Company had acquired control of significant swaths of the Indian subcontinent by the 1800s, generating about half of England's trade. India was the "crown jewel" of the British Empire, thus many members of the monarchy travelled there.
During her tour of India in 1961, Queen Elizabeth II saw the Taj Mahal in Agra, paid her respects to Mahatma Gandhi at the Raj Ghat in New Delhi, and explored the cities of Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Madras. During her final visit to India in 1997, she helped celebrate India's 50th anniversary of independence and presented Mother Teresa with an honorary Order of Merit at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 1983.
Katy Perry & Prince Charles Vanity Fair
Addressing the India Global Week via video link in 2020, the King stated: “Having had the pleasure of visiting India so many times, I've always been struck by her extraordinary diversity and the deep well of creativity, ingenuity, and resilience upon which she draws. This is a source of great inspiration to me personally.”
We examine his travels across the country, from the states to the cities, the hotels to the locals he met.
1975 – First visit to India
On March 2, 1975, the King travelled to Delhi with Lord Mountbatten, India's last Viceroy, for his first formal overseas visit. Meeting Prime Minister Indira Gandhi at Viceroy's House (now President's House in New Delhi) and touring the gardens was the first of his official engagements after being greeted at Palam Airport (now Indira Gandhi Airport). After that, he went to pay his respects at the Red Fort and see the Pearl Mosque, where he watched while skilled workers replaced missing stones. The trip wasn't "all business and no play," though; it also featured a polo match, which Charles' team, the Plumed Coronets, won, 9 goals to 6. Charles had two goals, one of which was an 80-yarder.
1980 – Delhi, Kolkata & Bengaluru
When visiting Bollywood actress Padmini Kolhapure on the set of her film Ahista Ahista at Mumbai's Rajkamal Studios, King Charles received a kiss on the cheek, generating widespread media coverage of his 13-day stay in India.
Prince Charles with Padmini Kolhapore - Times of India
The 32-year-old prince was one of the world's most eligible bachelors at the time, and the media uproar the welcome caused in India and the United Kingdom was captured on tape. The actress has admitted that she was humiliated to become recognised as "the person who kissed Prince Charles."
The visit began in Delhi where the then-prince attended a state banquet and impressed his hosts by speaking in Urdu. His speech ended with the words: “Friends, I have drunk your delightful wine. I take away with me memories of the friendship of all of you.”
His first meeting with Mother Teresa took place in Kolkata, after he had visited with President Neelam Sanjiva Reddy and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. After that, the king and queen went to the Shishu Bhavan orphanage, where a young boy clung to their legs during a performance of songs and dances. The prince became emotional and comforted the kid by putting his arm around his shoulders.
1991 – Uttar Pradesh
Prince Charles went to India to pay his respects at the funeral of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who was killed in a suicide attack in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, along with 14 other people. On May 24th, 1991, the state funeral was broadcast live and was attended by dignitaries from more than 60 countries. Gandhi was cremated on the banks of the Yamuna River, not far from where his mother, brother, and grandparents had been laid to rest.
1992 - Delhi, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Bangalore
The former prince's trip had a number of goals, including assisting young entrepreneurs, strengthening bilateral ties, and protecting the environment. The discovery that the Prince and Princess of Wales' marriage had been under strain during this tour became the topic of much discussion. Diana went to the Taj Mahal on her own, which led to the iconic photo of her sitting on the seat where Prince Charles had stood 12 years earlier.
2003 - Delhi, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Mumbai
Prince Charles' 9-day visit to India in 2003 was focused on bilateral ties, the environment, heritage restoration, and helping young business people. He rode on the Delhi Metro and met the President at the time, Abdul Kalam, after which he said: “India has deep roots in our past. It is part of our collective memory. It will also be a long-term partner in our future security and prosperity.”
Zodakreza - Prince Charles with Dabbawalas Zodakreza
The vacation continued to Mumbai, where they visited the set of the film Mangal Pandey: The Rising, after stopping in Jaipur and Jodhpur. Meeting the white-clad men and women who deliver home-cooked meals to nearly 200,000 Mumbai residents every day since 1890, known as "dabbawalas," in South Mumbai. The Dabbawalas presented the prince with a nine-yard sari and a Maharashtrian turban upon learning of his 2005 engagement to Camilla Parker Bowles. The prince extended an invitation to the group and paid for their travel and accommodations for two guests to attend the wedding.
2006 - Delhi, Rajasthan, Jodhpur, Jaipur
The Duchess of Cornwall visited two ancient forts and met with farmers and artisans during her six-day tour. At a party held in New Delhi to honour the monarch's birthday, the couple also chatted with England cricketers.
2010 - Delhi
India's controversial 2010 Commonwealth Games were the first to be hosted in the country. A political war broke out over who would formally open the games, and the athletes' hamlet was judged "uninhabitable." Although the prince was supposed to represent his mother at the Games she had missed for the first time since 1966, many Indians would have preferred that the honour go to former president Pratibha Patil instead. In the end, both officials showed up for the event.
2013 - Dehradun, New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Kochi
The royal couple's next journey began in Rishikesh, India, in November 2013 with a colourful Hindu ritual at twilight on the banks of the River Ganges. In a palace tweet, the Prince said, "It is my first visit to the Ganges, so from that point of view, it is a very special occasion for both myself and my wife."
The journey also included a stop at the Indian Military Academy, a gala dinner with a Bollywood theme in Mumbai, and a visit to a memorial service for fallen soldiers. While in India, the royal pair also stopped at Cochin, home to one of the oldest synagogues in the Commonwealth, and New Delhi's largest Hindu temple. While Camilla was touring the prestigious Doon School in Dehradun, the prince went off-roading in Kerala's "elephant corridor."
The prince made his first trip to Pune, where he saw the Commonwealth Graves Commission war cemetery at Khadki, learned about the production of serum at the Serum Institute of India, and celebrated business and young entrepreneurship at a reception at the Royal Western India Turf Club. Thirty bungalows were reserved for the couple's entourage while they were in Kerala, and they remained in the resort's presidential suite. The Prince really liked the outdoor bathroom because of its rustic elegance.
2017 – Delhi
The Prince and Duchess of Cambridge met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their time in Delhi. The Prince commemorated the 70th anniversary of India's independence by laying a wreath at India Gate and joining in a celebration of the UK-India Year of Culture. Prince Charles and Prime Minister Narendra Modi met and discussed many issues, including how to strengthen bilateral ties.
2019 - New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru
The Prince of Wales did many things during his tenth trip to India. First day highlights included meeting pop star Katy Perry and hearing about his 2007 nonprofit, the British Asian Trust. Children who had been able to go to school because of his generosity sent him a book about a Hindu god, complete with illustrations of miniature people standing in bonsai gardens. At Soukya, a 30-acre integrated medical complex in Bangalore, he celebrated his 71st birthday with appams, Ayurveda, naturopathy, and yoga.
The prince and his wife have been frequent visitors to Soukya, demonstrating their commitment to integrative medicine through their patronage of the College of Homeopathy. The couple has also expressed curiosity in the healing powers of plants and India's alternative healthcare system. As part of his trip, the prince met with President Ram Nath Kovind, paid his respects at the Delhi War Cemetery, visited a Sikh gurdwara, and participated in charitable and business meetings in Bengaluru.
Prince Charles 71st Birthday - Reuters
The King's visits to the Indian Subcontinent
Three of King Charles' four trips to Nepal have occurred in February. In 1975, he attended King Birendra of Nepal's coronation and in 1992, he met with him. In 1998, he travelled to Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Kathmandu Valley, where he attended Independence Day celebrations and saw Kathmandu, Patichaur, and Besisahar.
The King's Ties to the Subcontinent of India After declaring his "deep love for India," the Prince initiated an emergency plea for the country and raised millions of pounds during the COVID-19 pandemic. He helped fund the non-governmental organisation Bharatiya Yuva Shakthi Trust, which was established by Lakshmi Venkatesan, the daughter of former President R. Venkataraman. He also provided aid to farmers through his British Asian Trust and advocated for Indian traditional medicine in both India and the United Kingdom. His continued passion for India is anticipated with optimism.