British royal couple lands in Islamabad

Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate arrived in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Friday after a strong storm forced their plane to return to Lahore.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were flying in from the city of Lahore on Thursday night after a day-long visit to a mosque and a hospital when their plane could not land due to turbulence.

Pakistan’s aviation authorities advised the pilot to return to Lahore after two failed landing attempts at an airport and a military airbase, officials said.

The couple spent the night at a luxury hotel in Lahore along with journalists covering their trip and staff of the British high commission in Pakistan. The incident has forced changes in the tightly scheduled itinerary of the royal couple, said an official at the high commission.

Kate and William are set to visit a cannon display of the Pakistani military on Friday, the army said.

In Lahore, they visited the 17th-century mosque, participated in birthday celebrations of children at an orphanage and spent time with a cancer patient at a hospital.

The royal couple is scheduled to wrap up the visit and fly back home on Friday.