GEORGE TOWN: Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, were given a red carpet send-off here on Wednesday upon the conclusion of their seven-day official visit to Malaysia.
Their Royal Highnesses arrived at the Penang International Airport at about 11am and walked past a static guard-of-honour, shielding themselves from a drizzle with an umbrella.
Prince Charles and Camilla flew off to India on a British Royal Air Force aircraft which took off at 11.27am.
Minister-in-Attendance Datuk Seri SK Devamany, who is Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department; Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and his wife Betty Chew; Penang state secretary Datuk Seri Farizan Darus; Penang State Assembly speaker Datuk Law Choo Kiang; and other state officers were at the airport to see them off.
Prince Charles and Camilla arrived in Kuala Lumpur last Thursday on their maiden visit to Malaysia, which commemorates with the 60th anniversary of bilateral relations between Malaysia and the United Kingdom.
Apart from Kuala Lumpur, the royals also visited Sarawak, Perak and Penang over the span of seven days from Nov 2 to 8.
The royal couple arrived in Penang on Monday evening and completed a day-long official visit to a number of places of worship in the heritage enclave yesterday, as well as the heritage areas and the Royal Malaysian Air Force Base in Butterworth.
They also attended the Sandhurst Alumni Reception at the Eastern and Oriental Hotel and concluded their visit by attending the Penang Peranakan Museum Reception in Church Street.
Their visit to Malaysia is part of an 11-day tour to Singapore, Malaysia and India from Oct 30 to Nov 9, aimed at strengthening ties between Britain and Asia.
Previous visits to Malaysia by members of the British royalties included that from Sept 20 to 23, 1998, by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, who attended the official opening of the 16th Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur; and the visit by Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, in September 2012. – BERNAMA