Prince William and Kate Middleton arrived at Malaysia for three-day visit

SEPANG: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, arrived at KL International Airport on Thursday to begin their three-day official visit.

Malaysia is their second destination after Singapore, enroute a nine-day tour of the Far East, as representatives of Queen Elizabeth II in conjunction with the celebration to mark the 60-year reign of the Queen.

As the aircraft carrying the couple landed at the airport around noon, scores of media photographers waited patiently outside the airport.

Activity inside the airport came to a standstill as people catch a glimpse of the couple as they were escorted to their limousine.

Fans of the couple who had gathered outside the airport took photographs as the couple emerged from International Departure Door 4.

They waved to the crowd and were ushered into their limousine to take them to Putrajaya where they called on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor at Seri Perdana followed by a luncheon.

The couple later visited Hospis Malaysia, a charitable organisation which offers professional palliative care to patients suffering from life-limited illnesses, and received a warm welcome from residents and children from a nearby kindergarten.

The children waved the national flag exuberantly to greet the royals.

Kate looked radiant in a light grey knee-length dress as she and William were greeted by Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

Kate, who is patron to the East Anglia Children's Hospices, will make her first public speech outside the United Kingdom at Hospis Malaysia.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will have an audience with Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Hajah Haminah and attend a royal banquet at Istana Negara on Thursday evening.

During their stay here, the couple would visit the Kuala Lumpur City Centre and Danum Valley, a primary tropical rainforest in Sabah.

They are scheduled to leave for the Solomon Islands on Sunday.

Media reports have indicated some 100 foreign journalists and photographers from the United Kingdom, America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Germany, China, France, and Indonesia are covering the royal visit.

A statement from the Foreign Affairs Ministry said the visit not only signifies the prevailing close bilateral relations between Malaysia and the United Kingdom, but is expected to further enhance the existing friendly relations between both countries.