The island’s botanic gardens named a new species of orchid after Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997 with the intention of presenting it to her on her next visit to the Far East.
The Princess died 15 years ago tomorrow, having never had a chance to see the orchid, and instead the honour will fall to her son when he and the Duchess of Cambridge tour the region for eight days.
Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, the Duke’s Private Secretary, said that during a visit to Singapore Botanic Gardens on Sep 11: “The Duke and Duchess will be shown an orchid named after Diana, Princess of Wales which the late Princess never had a chance to see in person.
“It was named shortly before she died and the intention was for the Princess to see it at some point.”
He said the Duke and Duchess will also each have an orchid named after them on the visit, which will come at the start of a tour which will also take in Malaysia, the Solomon Islands and the remote Pacific island of Tuvalu, which is part of the Commonwealth.
The Duchess will make her first official speech on foreign soil when she visits a hospice in Kuala Lumpur. The Duchess made her first speech as a member of the Royal family at a children’s hospice in Ipswich earlier this year, as Patron of East Anglia Children’s Hospices, and is keen to promote links between the two facilities.
Mr Lowther-Pinkerton said: “The Duchess wanted to establish contacts between her charities here and charities overseas, and the Duchess hopes that a legacy of this visit will be to get a dialogue going between EACH and Hospis Malaysia.”
In what promises to be one of the most colourful Royal tours in years, the Duke and Duchess will be greeted by warriors in traditional dress in the Solomon Islands, where they will also be transported in a war canoe to the diving resort of Tavanipupu, and in Tuvalu they will be carried from their aircraft at shoulder height in the island’s traditional reception for visiting dignitaries.
When the Queen visited Tuvalu in 1982, the last time a member of the Royal family went there, she and the Duke of Edinburgh were carried ashore from the Royal Yacht Britannia in canoes.
Mr Lowther-Pinkerton said: “We don’t know by what means they will be carried at the moment, it remains to be seen whether it is a canoe or some other platform.”
The Duke and Duchess will travel with an entourage of eight, including a hairdresser for the Duchess whom she and the Duke will pay for. They will take scheduled flights to and from the Far East, and will use aircraft provided by the local governments as they travel between countries, apart from their trip to Tuvalu, when they will use a charter aircraft.
Kate will travel with a new hairdresser, paid for privately by her and William, it was reported.
The details of the trip were announced the day after the royal couple attended last night’s Paralympic opening ceremony.