Prince William and Kate Middleton Set to Embark on Asia Tour
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Chris Jackson/Getty Images(LONDON) — Kate Middleton and Prince William are preparing to take their glamour and goodwill from England to the Far East in a nine-day trip that will mark a series of firsts for the young couple.
After enjoying a mini four-day vacation together at a secluded chateau in the south of France, William and Kate are now on their way to Singapore for a continuation of the Diamond Jubilee World Tour celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s 60th year of reign.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, both 30, will travel to four countries in just nine days, traveling from Singapore to Malaysia, the Solomon Islands and, finally, Tuvalu.
Crowds are expected to match the thousands that lined the streets for a glimpse of the couple in their first official overseas tour last June and July in North America.
One of the first stops for the couple, who celebrated their one-year anniversary in April, will be an orchid-naming ceremony at the Singapore Botanic Gardens where each will have an orchid named in their honor. They’ll also be able to view an orchid named after William’s late mother, Princess Diana, shortly before her death in 1997 and before she had a chance to view the flower herself.
On Thursday Kate will make her first official overseas speech when she addresses staff and patients at the Hospis Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur.
Much of the couple’s wide-ranging itinerary was said to have been personally selected by William’s grandmother, the queen. That itinerary will include William and Kate visiting a rainforest, embarking on a war canoe journey, visiting a local school and university and attending a youth conference, among other things.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio