6 times British Royal women visited mosques around the world

Remember when the Queen and Princess Diana visited Badshahi Masjid?

In early 1961, Queen Elizabeth II made her maiden Royal trip to Lahore, Pakistan. There were pictures, there was galore but one image that really stayed with us from her first time in Pakistan was when she visited the Badshahi Masjid in a pink overcoat and covered her head with a signature hat.



Ever since, the world's eyes have been on the British Royals visiting mosques while sporting modest wear. The Queen later headed to Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, touring various mosques in both countries. Interestingly, she isn't the only Royal to have done so.

Princess Diana and later the Duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex, Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, followed suit. Here are six times they have visited the Holy places on different occasions.

1. Princess Diana's visit to Badshahi Masjid



The Princess of Wales made her way to the Badshahi Masjid during her trip to Pakistan in 1991. She was dressed in an aqua coloured tuxedo dress that featured gold buttons at its centre and sleeves. The late international icon completed her look with a white sheer head scarf.

2. Princess Diana's visit to Al Azhar mosque 



The next year, Diana visited Cairo, Egypt. She paid a visit to the famous Al Azhar mosque in a knee-length pastel green and white dress. She teamed it up with a floral head scarf.

3. Queen Elizabeth's visit to Turkey



With her hair covered and stocking-clad feet, the Queen toured one of Turkey's most popular mosques during her first state visit to the country in 37 years.

4. Queen Elizabeth's visit to Sheikh Zayed Mosque



At the invitation of the President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, arrived in Abu Dhabi in 2010 for their second state visit to the UAE - the first having taken place in 1979.

Queen Elizabeth is considered to be the first leader from another religion to officially visit the Sheikh Zayed Mosque.

5. Kate Middleton's visit to Assyakarin Mosque 



Wearing an elegant headscarf, the Duchess of Cambridge made her first-ever visit to a mosque in 2012 in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur. The Assyakarin Mosque can accommodate 12,000 people for Friday prayers. Dressed in an all-white flowy dress, she exuded sophistication at its finest.

6. Meghan Markle's visit to South Africa



On Tuesday, September 24, the Duchess of Sussex visited one of the oldest mosques in Bo-Kaap, Cape Town, with her husband Prince Harry. They were shown the first known manuscript of the Quran before meeting members from different faiths to learn about how the mosque promotes interfaith dialogue.

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