Royal couple arrives in Kerala

Kochi – The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall arrived here Monday on a four-day state visit, which will include his 65th birthday celebrations on Thursday.

They were received by Ports Minister K. Babu, Chief Secretary E.K. Bharath Bhushan and other district authorities.

The state government has made elaborate arrangements, including a huge security cover consisting of close to 1,000 police officers.

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will meet the royal couple at Kumarakom Thursday on Prince Charles’ birthday. Kumarakom is Chandy’s maternal village.

On Monday, the royal couple will visit the Kerala Folklore Museum and Theatre here to watch the state’s traditional dance forms of.

They will then join urban planners and city dignitaries to view the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) marking Kochi’s participation in the Future Cities project.

The day will end with the royal couple attending a reception for civic and business leaders hosted by Kerala Governor Nikhil Kumar.

On Tuesday, they will visit the Vazhachal Forest Range to see the measures being taken for elephant conservation before heading for Kumarkom, where they will stay overnight.

On Wednesday, taking a day off from social engagments, they will relax at Kumarakom, where they will spend another night.

After the birthday celebrations and the meeting with Chandy and before leaving for Colombo Thursday, the couple will visit the Jewish Synagogue here to meet members of the community and receive a traditional Jewish blessing.