Prince Charles & Camilla Welcome Dalai Lama at Clarence House

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall welcomed the Dalai Lama at Clarence House. The meeting was a very friendly and informal one full of jokes and genuine warmth.

Prince Charles appeared to be delighted to meet the Dalai Lama for the first time in four years; the Prince placed his hands together in a prayer before embracing him. The two have built strong friendship; at one point the Dalai Lama affectionately stroked the Prince’s chin, making the latter burst into a fit of laughter.

The Dalai Lama had very warm words for Prince Charles, telling the reporters: “I always consider him from my first meeting, a very close, best of friends. This gentleman right from the beginning, I felt – very nice person, good human”. The spiritual leader also urged the Prince to continue his good work helping people in need.

The Duchess of Cornwall, who doesn’t know the spiritual leader as closely as her husband, was appeared to feel somewhat uncomfortable at first. However, she soon re-gained her composure and led the Dalai Lama to a quick tour of Clarence House gardens. The small group then headed back inside for an hour-long private conversation. When the time to say goodbye came, the Dalai Lama touched foreheads with the Duchess, while Prince Charles again clasped his hands in a prayer.

The Tibetan spiritual leader is on a 10-day tour of Britain; he aims to spread his teachings of peace and understanding to youngsters. After meeting the Prince, the Dalai Lama addressed representatives of different religions at Westminster Abbey. The day earlier, he met Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese opposition leader who had spent two decades under house arrest. The two extraordinary people – both Nobel Prize laureates – had never met before.

Filed under The United Kingdom
Tagged Dalai Lama, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Prince of Wales.

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