Thaindian News

Jodhpur, Oct 5 (IANS) Britain’s Prince Charles and his wife Camilla Parker Bowles were accorded a royal welcome by the erstwhile rulers of Jodhpur when they arrived at the Umaid Bhawan Palace here Tuesday afternoon, sources said.

Prince Charles, who is on a day’s visit to Jodhpur, arrived at an Indian Air Force station here at 11.55 a.m. in a chartered plane from Chandigarh and was received by senior air force and army officials.

District Collector Sidharth Mahajan and Superintendent of Police Mahesh Goyal were also present, officials said.

“After spending a few minutes at the airport, Prince Charles drove to the army’s desert corp’s headquarters where he met Commander Narendra Singh,” an official told IANS.

After the engagement, he went to Umaid Bhawan Palace, where Gaj Singh, erstwhile ruler of Jodhpur, his wife Hemlata Raje and his daughter Shivranjani accorded a royal and traditional welcome to the royal couple.

“He was garlanded amid traditional welcome songs and dances by folk artistes,” said sources close to the erstwhile royal family of Jodhpur.

Prince Charles also held discussions with the former royals on different issues, including the preparations for wedding of former prince Shivraj Singh.

Prince Charles was served a royal lunch, which included continental, Indian and Rajasthani cuisine. “He especially enjoyed the traditional Indian sweet, halwa, and leechi juice,” sources said.

After the lunch, he rested a while in the palace, sources said.

Prince Charles and his wife are likely to visit a nearby village to get a glimpse of rural lifestyle and water conservation efforts in the region, officials said.

The royal couple will take a look at the initiatives undertaken by local NGO, Jal Bhagirathi Foundation, for water harvesting and conservation, they said.

They will also visit the Maharaja Gaj Singh Jal Sansthan, the head office of the foundation at Bijolai.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwell are also scheduled to visit village Tolesar Charnan, officials said.

The royal visitors are to have dinner with Jodhpur’s erstwhile ruler Gaj Singh at Bal Samand heritage resort where folk songs and dances have been organised. They will leave for London around 8 p.m.

The Prince of Wales first visited the city in 2006.