British King Charles III and Queen Camilla on a Secret Visit to India
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Oct 30: Britain’s King Charles III with his wife queen Camilla paid a “super-secret” private visit to India avoiding all media glare apparently to receive some treatment in naturopathy and practice session in Yoga in a sprawling integrative medical centre in Bengaluru.
A vocal supporter of Ayurveda, the King Charles’ visit to India came to light only after their departure on Wednesday.
It was his first ‘secret visit’ to India after his coronation as king of the United Kingdom in 2023. King Charles III had previously visited India multiple times as Prince of Wales, according to reports.
King Charles, landed in Bengaluru on a four-day ‘super private’ visit on October 27, skipping every media interaction. The 75-year-old Charles made the low-key arrival in India on his return from Samoa where he attended the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting from October 21-26, sources aware of the development said.
Charles and Camilla had embarked on their maiden Oceania tour on Oct 18, visiting Australia and Samoa, before wrapping up the trip on Oct 26. The royal couple reportedly decided to take a ‘rejuvenation’ break at Soukya Health and Wellness Centre in Bengaluru’s Whitefield on their return journey from Samoa.
King Charles and his wife Camilla are seeking wellness treatments and a retreat from their busy schedules, said sources, adding that their private jet landed at HAL airport on Saturday night.
Beyond its scheduled operations, the airport supports general aviation, corporate flights and exclusive VIP travel. No official traffic restrictions existed for their journey to the health centre. During their stay in Bengaluru, the royal couple have been engaging in morning yoga sessions and various wellness therapies designed for relaxation and rejuvenation.
The holistic health centre, where the couple stayed during their Bengaluru trip, is well known for rejuvenative treatment, including yoga and meditation sessions and therapies, an official said. “The couple who have stayed in the medical facility on a couple of occasions in the past took various wellness treatments, including Ayurveda and Naturopathy. Their morning routine included yoga sessions.
“They were on a special diet as part of the various wellness treatment they underwent here. They underwent rejuvenative treatment, which also included meditation and therapies,” the official said. “They also enjoyed long walks around the 30-acre campus and going to organic farm,” he said. “They were at the facility for three days and left the city this morning,” he added.
This was not the King’s first visit to the ‘SOUKYA’, International Holistic Centre at Samethanahalli, near Whitefield. He celebrated his 71st birthday here in 2019. It is run by Dr Issac Mathai, who is among the few individuals from India invited to attend his coronation as the UK’s King.
Charles has been a vocal supporter of Ayurveda over the years. He joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his UK visit in April 2018 at the Science Museum in London for the launch of a new Ayurvedic Centre of Excellence, aimed at creating a first-of-its-kind global network for evidence-based research on yoga and Ayurveda.
