Kate and William to meet Aga Khan ahead of official visit to Pakistan

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will meet Muslim spiritual leader the Aga Khan in central London ahead of their official visit to Pakistan.

The royal couple will be hosted by the 82-year-old billionaire philanthropist and racehorse owner at an event to showcase modern Pakistani culture at the Aga Khan Centre in King’s Cross.

Organised in co-operation with the High Commission of Pakistan, the event will see William and Kate meet community leaders and business figures as well as musicians, chefs and artists from the Pakistani diaspora.

The duke and duchess are due to embark on a royal tour of Pakistan from October 14 to 18.

His highness the Aga Khan is the 49th hereditary imam of the world’s 20 million Shia Ismaili Muslims and a direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammed.

He succeeded his grandfather, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan, as imam in 1957 at the age of 20.

In Pakistan, the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), working through its development agencies, provides services to communities covering school improvement, financial inclusion, conservation projects and healthcare facilities.

The Aga Khan Centre in London is home to the Aga Khan Foundation, the Aga Khan University’s Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations, and the Institute of Ismaili Studies.

The organisations work to promote understanding about Muslim cultures and to connect the public to global development issues.