Kate joins the Queen on tour

The Duchess of Cambridge will join the Queen as she begins her Diamond Jubilee tour of the UK next month.

The Queen, Duchess and the Duke of Edinburgh will travel to Leicester by train on March 8.

During the visit, they will meet local faith and charity representatives and find out about local projects.

They will visit De Montfort University, where the Duchess and the Queen will view a number of booths highlighting local projects and charities and watch a fashion show by some of the students.

Meanwhile, the Duke of Edinburgh will meet those involved in the Square Mile project, a program run by the university to help improve the life and surroundings of the local community. The royal party will then attend a service of Christian worship with participation from other faiths at the cathedral.

Following lunch, the royals will receive a gift from the city and will be treated to a performance on a theme of the Holi Festival, entitled “60 colors”. Holi Festival is a Hindu celebration of the coming of spring.

Ahead of the visit, Leicester City Mayor Peter Soulsby said: “I am very proud that Leicester will be the first stop on the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee tour. Leicester has an excellent reputation for hosting celebrations and I am confident we will give the royal party a day to remember.”

The Diamond Jubilee tour will take the Queen and Duke from the Isle of Wight to Birmingham and from Merthyr Tydfil to Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The royal couple will travel around the country, from March to July, by a range of means – car, royal train, aircraft and the ship Leander.

The tour will end on July 25 in the south east of England.