First pandas, now Britain’s royals. Singapore was hit by a fresh flurry
of excitement Tuesday as Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, better known as Prince
William and Catherine Middleton, arrived in the city state to kick off their
Asian tour.
In the coming days the couple
will travel around Southeast and South Asia as the part of the celebrations
marking Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, and their first order of duty was
to head to Singapore’s Botanic Gardens where – like the Queen, Margaret
Thatcher, Elton John and Thailand’s Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra – they
were honored by having orchids named after them. The royal pair also inspected
a white orchid named after the princess’s mother, Princess Diana, which she
herself was scheduled to visit in 1997 before dying in a car crash two weeks
earlier.
During their visit, Wills &
Kate, as they are popularly known, attended their first state dinner at the
Istana palace with President Tony Tan and visited the billion-dollar Gardens by
the Bay – a iconic new landmark with giant greenhouses and towering trees
designed by British architects – where they were greeted by hundreds of giggly
schoolchildren and cheering supporters waving both the British and Singapore
flags. They also visited Queenstown, a housing estate of government Housing
Development Board (HDB) flats named for the Prince’s grandmother during her coronation
in 1953.
Making photo opportunities easier
for royal groupies, Singapore’s Channel News Asia broadcasting station
helpfully provided a map of the couple’s tour around the island which even
states the specific time Will and Kate will be at various locations.
Of course, any brand remotely
associated with Britain has not passed up on the opportunity to tailor special
offerings linked to the Royal couple’s visit and to highlight their brand’s
long tradition with the British isles. Rolls Royce, for example, brought the
couple on a tour of one of their jet engine component factories in Singapore. A
newly-opened restaurant specializing in British fare, the Royal Mail, has
prepared a special menu for this week featuring cottage pie, apparently Prince
William’s favorite entrée, beef stroganoff, which was served at Prince Edward’s
wedding, and sticky date pudding, Kate’s favorite dessert.
British Airways too, launched an
advertisement welcoming the couple to Singapore with a cup of tea – but served
Singapore style, where ‘teh tarik’, the local tea traditionally prepared by
pouring the tea between vessels to make it more frothy, is served up in a
plastic bag and straws, on a silver plate fit for royalty. The ad helpfully
reminds Singapore residents that they can fly British Airways to London, the
couple’s home, for just over S$1, 400.
Singapore’s leaders, though,
might be relieved that Prince William’s younger brother Harry didn’t tag along
after his recent partying in Las Vegas, where he was photographed in nude while
on a private visit. Analysts expect Singapore’s two casinos will bring in more
revenue than all the casinos the legendary Las Vegas strip this year, but there
is no word yet on whether Prince Harry will come to sample Singapore’s
nightlife.
Shibani Mahtani
Business & Investment Opportunities
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