William and Kate 'Make New Memories' as the Royal Tour Ends at the Taj Mahal

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge concluded their tour of India and Bhutan with one of the most anticipated and discussed events of the tour - a visit to India's iconic landmark, the Taj Mahal.

The Palace described it as a "fitting location for the Duke and Duchess to say thank you for the generosity and warmth that has been extended to Their Royal Highnesses throughout the tour. The Taj Mahal is one of the symbols of India".

Of course, there's another symbolic and deeply personal side to the visit for Prince William. In 1992, Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana toured India and iconic images of Diana posing alone at the Taj Mahal would become enduring images of the collapse of their marriage. When asked how she found the visit, Diana said at the time "very healing", when asked to elaborate she replied: "Work it out for yourself." Twelve years earlier Prince Charles visited the monument and promised to return some day with his bride. Months after their joint visit the couple officially separated.

The question on everyone's mind today: would the Cambridges sit on the same marble bench in front of the Taj Mahal as Diana?

The media were told the couple did not make their mind up until they arrived, but then decided to sit on the 'Diana bench' and thus created iconic shots. The couple posed for photos.

A beautiful photo.

Kensington Palace continued: "The Duke of Cambridge is of course aware of the huge esteem his mother, the late Princess of Wales, is held in India and he appreciates the iconic status of the images that exist of the Princess at the Taj. He feels incredibly lucky to visit a place where his mother’s memory is kept alive by so many who travel there, 24 years on from her visit to the Taj."

It was undoubtedly a special opportunity for William to retrace his mother's footsteps and as the Palace said "make new memories" with his wife by his side.

After posing for photos, William and Kate privately toured the building.

The Duchess was fascinated by the romantic story behind the building. More from the Mail Online:

'Tour guide Rizwan Mohammed, 35, said he wished them a happy 5th wedding anniversary for the 29th April, adding : 'They were shocked that I know about it, but you know the internet. But then she said this is the perfect thing to do before their wedding anniversary. She was quite happy about it.'

Asked if it was a 'romantic day for them', he said 'absolutely'. They were fascinated 'by the story of the king and the queen' and the love that made him build the monument to her. And Kate got 'quite emotional' when she came to know that the Queen died at the very young age of 39. 'She said 'she really deserves this kind of building as they were madly in love with each other.'

Mr Mohammed added: 'They were down to earth, very casual. They were so, so easy to talk with them. For me, I was quite nervous but they were very normal, down to earth. Specifically the duchess, she was very enthusiastic about how this was built, She was asking about the inscriptions and what they mean.They were quite fascinated how it was done four centuries back, especially the lady. She was quite fascinated about the skills of those people and did they do it without using any modern tools and techniques.' 

The Duke and Duchess signed the visitors book.

As they came out William was asked: 'What has today's visit meant to you?' to which he replied 'It's a beautiful place, stunning designs in there. Kate added: 'It's been really incredible to learn about the romance of the building and really beautiful architecture'.

It was a scorching hot day in the Agra. A look at the media covering the visit.

This photo offers a good sense of the scope of the media presence. William and Kate travelled to the Taj Mahal in an environmentally-friendly, non-polluting, battery-operated vehicle.

The history of the landmark, known as the 'monument of love' is a fascinating one. The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna river in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The tomb is the centrepiece of a 42-acre complex, which includes a mosque and a guest house, and is set in formal gardens bounded on three sides by a crenellated walls.

The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage". Described by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore as "the tear-drop on the cheek of time", it is regarded by many as the best example of Mughal architecture and a symbol of India's rich history. The Taj Mahal attracts seven to eight million visitors a year.

The interior design is incredibly intricate and detailed.

The Cambridges have received an enormously warm reception at every stop along the way. Agra was no exception...

Kensington Palace "TRH want to say thank you to the people of India for their hospitality and warmth. The tour has been a huge success in deepening the UK relationship with the people of India. Kate chose a dress by Indian-American designer Naeem Khan for the event.

The blue and white sheath dress is from the designer's Resort 2015 Collection and features beautiful embroidery. Kate's wearing the style shown below with minor alterations. You'll notice Kate's dress has been lengthened.

More from The Telegraph on the designer's reaction to learning Kate wore his dress:

“This is my happiest morning. My son got married last night and The Duchess of Cambridge wears Naeem Khan in India. I am in Heaven.” He said he had provided Kate’s team with three possibilities when they contacted him several months ago but wasn’t told for sure The Duchess would wear his designs.'

Naeem Khan was one of the talented designer we look at in our 'Tour Designer Possibilities' posts. Born in Mumbai, the designer's hugely successful label was launched in 2003. Based in New York, his clients include First Lady Michelle Obama, Queen Noor of Jordan and Beyoncé. Known for delicate hand-beading, rich embroideries and gorgeous vibrant colour, I was very much hoping Kate would choose one of his designs.

Kate wore the pretty blue £6 earrings she purchased during her hike to Tiger's Nest yesterday. I thought it a lovely combination - a dress by a Mumbai-born designer with earrings from Bhutan.

A look at Kate wearing the earrings.

Kate wore her L.K. Bennett Fern pumps.

L.K. Bennett

Kate wore her Ray Ban sunglasses.

You can watch a video at ITN Source and YouTube.

William and Kate will enjoy dinner at a local hotel before flying back to the UK. I'm sure they cannot wait to see George and Charlotte. As the tour draws to a close, it feels the perfect time to say an enormous and heartfelt thank you to everyone who visited the blog and commented throughout the tour. It's been such fun covering the events and seeing your reactions. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour, the events, the quotes, Kate's style, seeing the locations, the culture and views from both countries - it was amazing!

I would also like to mention the press pack who so generously shared photos, videos, information and so much more over the last week. Those on the ground shared invaluable insight.  Firstly, the amazing James Whatling who provided the majority of the images (despite being under the weather), pool and press association photographers. Richard Palmer, Simon Perry, Emily Andrews, Victoria Murphy, Rebecca English, Camilla Tominey, Roya Nikkhah, Arthur Edwards, Gordon Rayner, Peter Hunt, Valentine Low, Omid Mio Scobie, Simon Vigar and Bhutan Broadcasting.

As some of you have already guessed we'll be holding our tour polls and more next. In the meantime, catch up on all the tour coverage on our Royal Tour Spring 2016 page! :)