The state is all set to welcome Britain’s Prince Charles and Duchess of Cornwall Camilla Parker who will reach here on Monday as part of a nine-day visit to the country. The British Royal couple will be in Kerala for four days.
Charles and Camilla will attend a reception here, to be hosted by Governor Nikhil Kumar, for civic and business leaders. Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty is also expected to attend it, said officials.
According to sources, the British Prince will have his birthday celebrations here during the visit.
The British royal couple will arrive at the Cochin International Airport at 1.30 pm on Monday. They will then visit the Kerala Folklore Museum and Theatre and get a taste of traditional dance forms. Prince Charles will join urban planners and other officials for signing an MoU, marking the participation of Kochi in the future cities project. They will also visit the Vazhachal forest range to view the elephant corridor and to see the measures taken for elephant conservation in the state. They are expected to meet residents of local tribal hamlets at Vazhachal in addition to meeting WWF outreach workers to discuss animal and forestry conservation.
A quick visit to the historic Jewish Synagogue, Mattancherry Palace Museum and the Cochin Shipyard are also part of the visit, said the officials.
“It’s a semi-official visit by the British royal couple. Anyway, we have made elaborate arrangements for the visit,” said Ernakulam District Collector P I Sheik Pareeth.
Major security arrangements have been put in place in view of the royal visit, said Kochi range IG K Padmakumar. Additional police personnel have been deployed and there will be traffic regulations in the city and surrounding areas for the coming four days as part of the visit.