British royals amazed at the idea of love Taj represents: Guide

By Sushil Kumar

New Delhi, April 16 (IANS) Visiting British royals, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who spent around 45 minutes admiring the Taj Mahal, were amazed with the fact that "a king so loved his wife that he built such a beautiful monument to cherish her memories", says their tour guide.

"They looked very happy while taking a tour of the Taj Mahal. They wanted to know more and more about it. How it was built and where the raw material came from?" their guide Rizvan, who took them around the 17th century monument, told IANS in a telephonic conversation.

He said Prince William and Kate Middleton also sat on the "Diana seat" for a photo session -- named after the late Princess of Wales, who had sat alone on that marble bench during her 1992 visit, triggering rumours about the state of her marriage to Prince Charles. By the end of the year it was announced they had agreed to separate.

Rizvan, who was with the royals for over half an hour, said the body language of Prince William and his wife indicated they were "really happy to be there" and both were equally keen.

"They asked me everything about the Taj Mahal a person would want to know, but they were also amazed the idea of Taj -- how a ruler got it built for his beloved wife," he said.

Rizvan said they were also "very happy" to see the architecture of Taj, and expressed satisfaction over the way it was being preserved.

Prince William wore a blazer, shirt and chinos, while Kate looked cool in a white knee length dress with blue prints by designer Naeem Khan as the mercury soared to 41 degrees Celsius.

Their trip to Taj began at 3.35 p.m. on Saturday and the couple stayed there till 4.22 p.m.

The couple was accompanied by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) officials during the tour around the Taj.