Prince William and Kate Middleton's South Pacific Tour Revealed: Princess Diana, Orchids & More

Palace unveils the details of royals' forthcoming trip abroad in celebration of queen's Diamond Jubilee year

By Gina Serpe Aug 30, 2012 7:10 PMTags
Prince William, Kate Middleton, Catherine, Duchess of CambridgeJOHN STILLWELL/AFP/GettyImages

Cell phone cameras at the ready, everyone.

You don't need to cast your mind back that far to remember the global PR disaster that ensued the last time a junior member of the royal family took a trip abroad, but somehow we don't think Prince William and Kate Middleton's Diamond Jubilee tour to the South Pacific will have quite the same impact as Prince Harry's naked Las Vegas lost weekend.

At least, we hope not.

But that doesn't mean they won't be making their mark, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's itinerary was released by St. James's Palace this morning.

The trek will run Sept. 11 through the 19 and its purpose, much like Harry's trip to the Bahamas and South America earlier this year, will be to support the queen's still-going-strong Diamond Jubillee year, marking her 60-year reign on the throne.

And from the looks of things, there will be a couple of standout moments from the trip, including Kate making her first formal speech abroad, and a sure-to-be touching moment in which the couple will witness the christening of a specially bred orchid named after Will and Harry's mom, Princess Diana.

"The aim of the tour is to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee," the Cambridges' private secretary, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, announced. "The Duke and Duchess will use the tour to pay tribute—through what they do and say and who they meet—to the queen's lifetime and dedication to the mix of peoples and cultures that make up all of Her Majestry's realms and the Commonwealth."

The first stop on their trip will be Singapore, where they'll be from Sept. 11-13, and the first big event will indeed be the orchid naming ceremony. They will be on hand for the blooming of the orchid named for the late royal, a flower she was expected to see herself prior to her death in 1997. Flowers will also be named for Will and Kate.

Next up, they'll touch down in Malaysia from Sept. 13-15, and will tour Kuala Lumpur and Sabah, where they will visit rainforest jungles and learn about local conservation efforts. It's during this leg of their journey that Kate will deliver her second ever public address and first abroad, which will be pegged to a hospice visit.

From Sept. 16-18 Will and Kate will be in the Solomon Islands before wrapping up their final two days with a stop in Tuvalu.

Godspeed, and be wary of covert cameras.