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Prince Charles, accompanied by his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, has visited the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir and a school attached to the temple in London to celebrate Holi.
The Royal couple visited the Mandir last evening to pay their respects to the deities and were greeted by the Deputy Lord Lieutenant Mei Sim Lai and the Mayor of Brent, Councillor Ralph Fox and Jitu Patel, chair of the Board of Trustees.
The head sadhu of the Mandir, Yogvivek Swami, welcomed Prince Charles in the traditional manner before garlanding him. Senior ladies of the Women's Wing welcomed his wife.
Prince Charles then proceeded to the sanctum, escorted by Swami and Jitu Patel, where he offered flower petals at the central shrine. The Duchess led by Pooja Patel, National Coordinator of Youth Activities for the Women's Wing, also offered flower petals at the central shrine.
The couple stayed there for few minutes admiring the beautiful intricate architecture of the Mandir.
Subsequently, they walked through the ceremonial gates of the Mandir to the school, where the head teacher Savjani, the Chair of Governors, Piyush Amin and others were introduced to the Royal couple.