Prince William and Kate Middleton re-create Princess Diana's iconic Taj Mahal photo
LONDON -- On the last day of their trip to India and Bhutan, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge re-created an iconic photo of Prince William's late mother, Princess Diana, in front of the Taj Mahal.
The 1992 photo showed the princess sitting alone in front of the monument. It's considered to symbolize the trouble in her marriage to Prince Charles. The couple divorced four years after that visit, in 1996; Diana died a year later in a car crash in Paris.
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Prince William and Kate Middleton hoped to create "new memories" with their Taj Mahal visit.
The royal couple was aware of the significance of their visit.
Their communications secretary Jason Knauf told reporters: "The Duke of Cambridge is of course aware of the huge esteem his mother, the late Princess of Wales, is held in in India and he appreciates the status of the images that exist of the Princess at the Taj.
"He feels incredibly lucky to visit a place where his mother's memory is kept alive by so many who travel there.
"Twenty-four years on from her visit to the Taj, the duke and the duchess are looking forward to seeing this beautiful place for themselves and creating some new memories as they say thank you to the people of India at the conclusion of this tour."
The BBC's royal correspondent, Peter Hunt, said that tourists are told about the "Diana" bench when visiting the Taj Mahal, but now the talk will have to be updated because fresh memories have been created.
The Taj Mahal was built as a monument to love in 1631. Mughal emperor Shah Jahan had it built as a final resting place for his favourite wife, Mumtaz.
The royal couple have been touring India and Bhutan for a week. They have played cricket, visited a wildlife park, met with officials and royal super-fans, and have been the subject of controversy over the intense press coverage surrounding their visit.
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Liza Hearon was the Deputy Editor for Mashable UK. Liza started her career in journalism writing about punk bands for a 'zine in Florida, and her wanderlust has led her to work for news organisations in Russia, Japan and now London. Prior to joining Mashable, she was the European homepage editor for the Wall Street Journal. Liza loves podcasts, karaoke and really, really spicy food.
