The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge continue their royal tour with a trip to the same cancer hospital Princess Diana visited a year before her death.
On the fourth day of the royal tour of Pakistan, Prince William and Kate Middleton set foot in the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital in the city of Lahore.
Will and Kate spent time in the children’s ward comforting and bonding with the cancer-treatment patients. They also got to learn about the conditions of the patients’ health as they spoke to many of the children’s families.
The cancer facility opened in 1994 and was built by Pakistan’s current Prime Minister, Imran Khan, in honour of his late mother who lost her life to cancer in 1985.
In February 1996, Diana, Princess of Wales visited the hospital with Khan and his ex-wife Jemima Goldsmith, who was a close friend to the royal.
Diana was on a private mission to Pakistan to raise money for the hospital and to meet her great love, Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan’s family.
The princess famously consoled the sick children during multiple visits in 1997 and in May 1997, three months before her death. One of the most cherished images of Diana is one of her photographed while cradling a young patient during that time.
While a visit to the hospital is a meaningful one for the Duke and Duchess, the royal couple will also participate in other special engagements throughout Lahore, Pakistan’s city of culture.
