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Kate to follow in Diana's footsteps on Asian tour

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It's been revealed that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are to visit an orchid at the Singapore Botanical Gardens that was named after William's mother Diana, Princess of Wales.The news comes as full details of their tour of the South Pacific and South East Asia were released by Clarence House on Thursday.

The Diamond Jubilee trip, which takes place 15 years after Diana's tragic death, will also take in the rainforests of Malaysia, the Solomon Islands and the remote Polynesian island of Tuvalu.While in Singapore the royal couple will also have orchids named after them.The Duchess will give her first speech on foreign soil while in Malaysia, and her second overall.The trip is geared towards formal and informal moments reflecting the interests of the couple, including William's interest in the environment and Kate's love of the arts and her interest in hospice care.As a grand finale, the people of Tuvalu will welcome the pair with a traditional guard of honour and they will be carried off the aircraft.When the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh visited the Polynesian island in 1982, they were brought ashore in garlanded canoes.

queen tuvalu

Nine staff members will travel with the Duke and Duchess for the the trip, including a privately paid for hairdresser.

They will take scheduled flights to and from the UK and some charted flights within the trip, with Clarence House stating that everything will be done to keep costs as low as possible.

Tour dates in full 

September 11: SingaporeSeptember 13: MalaysiaSeptember 15: Sabah, Malaysia (rainforest)September 16: Solomon IslandsSeptember 18: Tuvalu