This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36041143
The article has changed 12 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| William and Kate to meet king and queen of Bhutan | William and Kate to meet king and queen of Bhutan |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have received a ceremonial welcome in the remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. | |
| Over the next two days the couple will meet the country's king and queen and see the famous Tiger's Nest monastery. | |
| The royal couple were allowed into the cockpit of their Royal Bhutan Airways chartered jet to see it land at Paro airport - one of the most challenging places to touch down in the world. | |
| They were greeted with a ceremonial scarf by the King of Bhutan's sister. | |
| William and Catherine are in the middle of a seven-day tour of India and Bhutan. | William and Catherine are in the middle of a seven-day tour of India and Bhutan. |
| Bhutan: A land of revered royalty, tree-planting and happiness | Bhutan: A land of revered royalty, tree-planting and happiness |
| Later, they will meet Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his wife Queen Jetsun Pema - like the Cambridges, a young couple with a family. | |
| They will return to India on Saturday, but over the next few days the duke and duchess will be hosted by Bhutan's royal couple, who are expected to name their first child - a boy - at the weekend. | |
| They are to have a private audience with the king and queen, as well as a private dinner together at Lingkana Palace. | |
| The Cambridges will take part in a Chipdrel - a traditional welcome procession with music and ceremonial dress - and visit a temple. | |
| They will also visit open-air archery venue in the capital Thimphu, and see first-hand Bhutan's national sport, and trek up a mountain to visit the Tiger's Nest monastery. | |
| During the first leg of their tour in India, they fed orphaned baby rhinos and elephants at a wildlife park in Assam and met survivors of 2008's Mumbai attacks. | |
| Analysis | Analysis |
| BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt | BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt |
| The descent by plane, which has to navigate a mountainside, is not for the faint-hearted. | The descent by plane, which has to navigate a mountainside, is not for the faint-hearted. |
| William and Kate are entering a once-isolated land. | |
| Tourists could only visit from the 1970s; TV was introduced in the '90s; and this former absolute monarchy became a constitutional one with an elected government in 2008. | Tourists could only visit from the 1970s; TV was introduced in the '90s; and this former absolute monarchy became a constitutional one with an elected government in 2008. |
| Bhutan is a Buddhist country with an emphasis on gross national happiness rather than its gross domestic product. | Bhutan is a Buddhist country with an emphasis on gross national happiness rather than its gross domestic product. |
| However, the country's prime minister has acknowledged that this much-lauded concept can be overused, and can mask the kingdom's problems with debt, unemployment and poverty. | However, the country's prime minister has acknowledged that this much-lauded concept can be overused, and can mask the kingdom's problems with debt, unemployment and poverty. |
| For two days the Cambridges will be guests of a young king and queen that are held in high regard by its subjects. | For two days the Cambridges will be guests of a young king and queen that are held in high regard by its subjects. |
| They'll learn how Bhutan - which once revelled in its remoteness - is now facing the challenge of how to retain its Buddhist traditions while also embracing the modern world. | They'll learn how Bhutan - which once revelled in its remoteness - is now facing the challenge of how to retain its Buddhist traditions while also embracing the modern world. |
| On Wednesday, the pair toured Kaziranga National Park in the state of Assam in an open-topped 4x4, catching sight of elephants, monkeys and a monitor lizard. | |
| They later visited a village on the edge of the park to find out how villagers live side-by-side with the wild animals. | They later visited a village on the edge of the park to find out how villagers live side-by-side with the wild animals. |