Key Points
Prince Edward explores historic Raj Bhavan sites
Visits underground British-era bunker
Learns about residence's colonial history
Accompanied by British diplomatic officials
As per an official release, Prince Edward, the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the youngest sibling of King Charles III, started the visit with the Raj Bhavan lawn, which overlooks the sea. He was informed that the lawn served as the venue for the reception hosted in honour of the then Prince of Wales, and his brother, Charles in the year 1980.
Governor's Principal Secretary Pravin Darade and Public Relations Officer Umesh Kashikar then guided Prince Edward through the historic 'Jal Kiran' guest house and the 'Jal Vihar' state banquet hall. According to the Raj Bhavan, the Prince was also shown the historic 'Jal Vihar' - the State Banquet Hall and the underground bunker.
As per the official statement by Raj Bhavan, Prince Edward also visited the 'Jal Lakshan' a VIP guest house usually reserved for the President and Prime Minister of India. Notably, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh had been invited to stay at this guest house during their visit to Mumbai in 1961.
The Duke was accompanied by the British Deputy High Commissioner Harjinder Kang, the Duke's Private Secretary Alex Potts, and the Head of the Political and Bilateral Affairs Department, John Nickell.
During the pre-independence period, Raj Bhavan was known as the 'Government House' of Bombay. After independence, it became the official residence of the Governor of the Bombay State, and following the formation of Maharashtra, it was designated as the Raj Bhavan of Maharashtra, the statement by Raj Bhavan observed.
