William and Kate to fly out on first joint foreign visit in four years as they meet Modi during three-day trip to India

The Prince and Princess of Wales are to hold a high-level meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as they undertake their first joint foreign visit as a couple in four years.It is understood that the powerful Indian leader has re-arranged his diary, heading back from a summit for Asian leaders in the Philippines so that he can meet with William and Catherine during their three-day trip this week.The couple had been due to be based in the coastal city of Mumbai throughout their stay for William's Earthshot prize environmental awards, but will now fly to the capital New Delhi on Wednesday afternoon for bilateral talks before returning to the UK.It is the first time the Waleses have travelled overseas on royal duties together since December 2022 after the princess suffered a series of major health issues and was diagnosed with cancer.A Kensington Palace spokesman said last night that the meeting with Mr Modi was a significant addition to their programme, as well as a step-up in the heir to the throne's growing role on the world stage.'I'm delighted to confirm that, following the conclusion of their respective engagements here in Mumbai, The Prince and Princess of Wales will travel together to New Delhi, where they will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is an important moment in the visit, and a fitting conclusion to what promises to be a very special few days in India,' he said.He added: 'The United Kingdom and India share one of the most important international relationships, with deep and growing connections across trade, investment, defence, security, technology, education and culture. And this meeting reflects the importance of that relationship, as well as the role Their Royal Highnesses can play in celebrating and strengthening the ties between our two countries.'For The Prince, it also represents another significant engagement as he continues to take on a growing role on the international stage.The Prince and Princess of Wales attend the annual Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in London on November 7 India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks to reporters inside parliament on the first day of the budget session in New Delhi, India, on January 31, 2024 The Earthshot Prize logo was projected on the Bandra-Worli sea link in Mumbai last night'We've seen him increasingly support the UK's diplomatic relationships through his overseas engagements, and this meeting will provide an opportunity to build on those connections at the highest level.'The Prince is very conscious of the responsibility that comes with his position, and of the contribution he can make by bringing people together and supporting relationships that matter to the United Kingdom.'While the aide would not go into details of the issues to be discussed in advance they did, however, suggest they would focus on the 'strength of the modern UK-India partnership', from environmental innovation and business to culture, education and the creative industries – all of which are key themes of the prince and princess's visit.'This meeting brings those wider themes together and provides an important conclusion to the visit,' the spokesman added.And they stressed that it was 'particularly special that The Princess will be alongside him [William] for this meeting', adding: 'Their Royal Highnesses have such happy memories of their visit to India in 2016, and they're both looking forward to the opportunity to meet the Prime Minister together on Wednesday evening.'An aide said the fact that Prime Minister Modi had found a way to incorporate it into his schedule 'just shows how important both the United Kingdom and India take the relationship'.Whitehall sources say Mr Modi already has a 'very close relationship' with the King and the Royal Family was generally seen as a crucial part of the UK's diplomatic armoury.Ben Mellor, acting British High Commissioner to India, added that the future king and Mr Modi would be 'celebrating' the Anglo-Indian partnership and 'discussing the areas of cooperation as we look to the future'.'Their Royal Highnesses visit comes at a pivotal moment. India's rise has been one of the defining stories of the past three decades - and the UK will be there right alongside India,' he said.The prince and princess will fly into Mumbai overnight and hit the ground running, with a game of 'gully cricket' – otherwise known as street cricket – played in alleyways across India.They will be joined by what has been teased as 'cricketing royalty' for the event, which is designed to showcase how sport brings together communities.It will also set the scene for a colourful 'welcome to Mumbai'.Tuesday will see the focus firmly placed on William's global initiative, the Earthshot Prize, which will see five winners awarded £1million each to upscale their innovative solutions to the global environmental crisis.William will undertake two solo engagements around the awards before being joined in the evening by Catherine to walk the 'green carpet' with a host of stars of stage, screen, music and sport.It is understood that both have ensured their outfits will have more than a little 'Bollywood dazzle'.On Wednesday their public engagements will celebrate the Anglo-Indian bilateral relationship, with the prince and princess undertaking a joint engagement highlighting local arts and crafts before going their own ways.Catherine will be focusing on her early years work with young children, while William will be highlighting Mumbai's thriving Hindi film industry, before they meet up and go onwards to New Delhi.Speaking ahead of their arrival, conservationist and Earthshot ambassador Robert Irwin said William brought an 'immense amount of passion' to the environmental cause.'When someone has an authentic cause, passion, reason behind what they do we need environmental leaders who are going to get in there, do the work and amplify that to a really big platform. He does that.'