King Charles III has had a lengthy association with India. Since 1975, he has made 10 official overseas trips to India, been involved in numerous charities within the country and celebrated his 71st birthday in Bengaluru. His accession to the British throne has also made him Head of the Commonwealth, which comprises 56 independent countries including India. Through the years, the new monarch has grown close to India with its diversity and ancient practices of yoga and Ayurveda.

A History of Royal Visits

By the 1800s, the East India Company generated almost half of England's trade, and its private army of 250,000 seized control of large areas of the Indian subcontinent. As the 'jewel in the crown' of the British Empire, many members of the royal family came to visit India.

In 1961, Queen Elizabeth II toured Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Madras and also visited the Taj Mahal in Agra and paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat in New Delhi. She presented Mother Teresa with an honorary Order of Merit at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 1983 and marked the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of India's Independence during her final visit to India in 1997. 

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 take a look at his state trips and the destinations he has visited, along with the places where he has stayed and the people he met along the way.

1975 – First visit to India

The King's earliest official overseas trip to India was on 2nd March 1975 when he visited Delhi, accompanied by Lord Mountbatten, India's last Viceroy.

After being met at Palam Airport (now Indira Gandhi Airport), his official engagements began with meeting Prime Minister Indira Gandhi at Viceroy's House (now President's House in New Delhi) and taking a tour of the gardens. He then laid a wreath at the Mahatma Gandhi memorial, witnessed missing stones being replaced by craftsmen at the Pearl Mosque, and visited the Red Fort. 

It wasn't 'all work and no play' on the trip, as it included a polo match in which Charles' team, the Plumed Coronets, were victorious over the Ashoka Lions by nine goals to six. Charles scored two goals, one of them from 80 yards.

https://youtu.be/t12JdCsP8AE 

1980 – Delhi, Kolkata & Bengaluru

King Charles' 13-day visit to India was the subject of hefty media attention when he was kissed on the cheek by Bollywood actress Padmini Kolhapure during a visit to Rajkamal Studios in Mumbai where she was filming Ahista Ahista.

At the time, the 32-year-old prince was one of the most eligible bachelors in the world, and the greeting was caught on camera, causing a furore in the Indian and UK press. The actress has revealed that she became known as "the person who kissed Prince Charles" and was very embarrassed about the faux pas.

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.”

After meetings with President Neelam Sanjiva Reddy and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the tour headed to Kolkata where he met Mother Teresa for the first time. This was followed by a visit to the Shishu Bhavan orphanage where, during a song and dance programme, a young boy held onto the monarch's leg and refused to let go. The prince was moved to tears and gently put his arm around the boy's shoulders.

1991 – Uttar Pradesh

Prince Charles travelled to India to attend the funeral of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who was assassinated along with 14 other victims during a suicide bombing in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. The live-streamed state funeral took place on May 24th 1991 and was attended by dignitaries from more than 60 nations. Gandhi was cremated close to the cremation sites of his mother, brother, and grandparents on the banks of the Yamuna River.

1992 - Delhi, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Bangalore

The former Prince's tour focused on the environment, heritage restoration, bilateral ties and helping young business people.

The talking point of this trip was the revelation of a strained marriage between the Prince and Princess of Wales. Diana visited the Taj Mahal alone, giving rise to the famous photo of her sitting on the bench where 12 years earlier Prince Charles had also posed.

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.”

After visiting Jaipur and Jodhpur, the tour continued to Mumbai and the set of the film Mangal Pandey: The Rising. In South Mumbai, he met the dabbawalas of Mumbai, who have delivered home-cooked food to almost 200,000 Mumbai residents since 1890, dressed in their white outfits and traditional Gandhi Caps. On hearing of the prince's engagement to Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005, the Dabbawalas sent a nine-yard sari and a Maharashtrian turban. The prince invited the association to attend the wedding and made airfare arrangements for two people along with other expenses.

2006 - Delhi, Rajasthan, Jodhpur, Jaipur

This six-day tour accompanied by the Duchess of Cornwall included meetings with farmers and artisans, along with visits to two ancient forts. The couple also met England cricketers in New Delhi during a reception at the British High Commission to celebrate the birthday of Queen Elizabeth II.

2010 - Delhi

The 2010 Commonwealth Games was the first to be held in India and the subject of much controversy. As well as the athletes' village being deemed 'uninhabitable', a diplomatic feud raged over who would officially inaugurate the games. The prince was scheduled to speak on behalf of his mother, who was missing her first Commonwealth Games since 1966, but Indian nationals wanted the honour to fall to the then-president Pratibha Patil. Ultimately, both dignitaries participated in the ceremony.

2013  - Dehradun, New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Kochi

In November 2013, the royal couple embarked on their next tour, which began with a colourful sunset Hindu ceremony on the banks of the River Ganges in Rishikesh. 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 tour also involved a visit to the Indian Military Academy, attending a Bollywood-themed gala dinner in Mumbai, and observing Remembrance Sunday. The royal couple also visited the world's largest Hindu temple in New Delhi and one of the oldest synagogues in the Commonwealth at Kochi. The prince made an off-road trip into an "elephant corridor" in Kerala, while Camilla visited the prestigious Doon School in Dehradun.

It was the prince's first visit to Pune, where he visited the war cemetery at Khadki run by the Commonwealth Graves Commission, observed the manufacturing processes at the Serum Institute of India, and attended a reception to celebrate business and youth enterprise at the Royal Western India Turf Club.

While staying in Kerala, the couple stayed in the regal presidential suite at the beautiful Kumarakom Lake Resort, with thirty cottages booked for their entourage. The Prince was a particular fan of the rustic yet luxurious outdoor bathroom!

2017 – Delhi

While in Delhi, the Prince and the Duchess met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Prince laid a wreath at India Gate and attended a celebration honouring the UK-India Year of Culture, marking 70 years of Indian independence. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prince Charles met and spoke about a wide range of topics, including enhancing bilateral cooperation.

2019  - New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru

During his tenth visit to India, the Prince of Wales engaged in a variety of activities. On the first day, met pop icon Katy Perry, and learned about the work of the British Asian Trust, a charity he established in 2007. He was presented with a gift from schoolchildren educated thanks to his charity featuring stories of a Hindu god illustrated by tiny figures in bonsai gardens.

He also celebrated his 71st birthday in Bengaluru, where he enjoyed appams, Ayurveda, naturopathy, and yoga at Soukya, a 30-acre integrative medicine facility. The prince has been a longstanding supporter of integrative medicine, choosing to be a patron of the Faculty of Homeopathy and visiting Soukya several times with his wife. The couple has also shown interest in India's alternative healthcare model and the medicinal properties of various plants.

During the tour, the prince met with President Ram Nath Kovind, paid his respects at the Delhi War Cemetery, visited a Sikh gurdwara, and attended meetings in Bengaluru related to charity and business.

The King's visits to the Indian Subcontinent

King Charles has made three visits to Nepal, all in the month of February. In 1975, he was a guest at the coronation of King Birendra of Nepal and attended meetings with him in 1992. He toured Kathmandu, Patichaur, and Besisahar in 1998, when he also visited Bhutan and Sri Lanka, where he took part in celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the country's Independence Day.

The King's Connection with India

During the COVID-19 pandemic, after expressing his "great love for India," the Prince launched an emergency appeal for India, raising millions of pounds. In addition to supporting the Bharatiya Yuva Shakthi Trust, an NGO founded by Lakshmi Venkatesan, the daughter of former President R. Venkataraman, he also supported farmers through his British Asian Trust and promoted Indian traditional medicine in India and the UK. There are high expectations that his fondness for India will continue.