Prince William and Kate Greeted With Campfire, Dancers in Assam
The couple is on an official royal trip to India and Bhutan.
— -- Prince William and Kate traded the hustle and bustle of India's two largest cities today to travel to Assam in northeastern India where they viewed the world's largest one-horned rhino park.
The royal couple received a traditional welcome in Assam this evening from beautifully vibrant costumed singers and dancers over an intimate campfire.
Kate, in her third outfit change of the day, wore a tea-length Anna Sui dress that referenced the vibrant, patterned saris worn by many women in India and her favorite navy wedge shoes to greet the villagers.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made the trek to Assam and its Kaziranga National Park, a World Heritage Site and a wildlife conservation site of great global importance, to draw attention to the black market trade for rhino horns and ivory. The couple will meet Wednesday with park rangers and go on an early-morning game drive to view the wildlife in the region.
Prince William has always wanted to see Kaziranga and he and Kate hope to raise global awareness on conservation and the dwindling population of the magnificent animals. He is the president of United for Wildlife, an organization created by The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. William has been passionate about efforts to protect wildlife from poachers and has spoken out about a world in which his own two children -- Prince George and Princess Charlotte -- might not be able to see some of the world's nearly extinct animals when they grow up.
Earlier in the day, Prince William and Kate paid a special visit to children often overlooked and forgotten in India, but very much in need of love and attention.
On day three of their official royal trip to India and Bhutan, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited the Salaam Baalak Trust, an organization that supports some of the most vulnerable young people living on the streets of Delhi.
The duke and duchess first visited one of the Trust's locations near New Delhi Railway Station, where they heard that up to 1,500 children arrive into Delhi on trains each year. The children, the royals were told, often travel alone and often to escape a range of personal circumstances.
Kate and William saw firsthand that the charity assists with the children's physical and medical care and offers programs to foster educational, creative and social action.
"Their Royal Highnesses were interested to see children's mental health being treated as a key priority in helping children to seek physical healthcare, shelter, and eventually education," said a Kensington Palace spokeswoman. "Young people's mental health is a major focus of [William and Kate's] charitable work."
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