william and kate walk in diana's footsteps

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Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Bhutan and afterwards paid a visit to the iconic Taj Mahal as they wrap up their tour.

The pair sat on the bench made famous by Princess Diana, whose picture there was beamed around the globe. 

The visit comes 24 years after Princess Diana's poignant trip and the iconic image of her sitting alone on the bench.

They decided they would sit on the bench 'because it is where everyone sits to admire the Taj's beauty.

In Bhutan, the couple took part in a traditional chipdrel welcome procession on day five of the royal tour (left) before attending a dinner with King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema (right).

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge hiked for three hours to reach a remote monastery on a cliff in Bhutan.

The couple's seven day tour of Bhutan and India, which started last Sunday, has seen some memorable moments; but it is their trip to the Taj Mahal which was perhaps the most eagerly anticipated 

As their shows of affection this week have shown, William and Kate could tread in the footsteps of Diana today, safe in the knowledge that history is unlikely to repeat itself.

The couple left Bhutan and prepared for the last leg of their week- long visit hat has taken in cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, and Agra.

William and Kate at Paro Airport in Bhutan before boarding their flight to Agra, India for their visit to the Taj Mahal (left) and youngsters waiting to present the pair with flowers (right).

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge received gifts as they left Bhutan having become firm friends with their hosts.

The Duke and departed Bhutan at Paro International Airport, ahead of their visit to the Taj Mahal - and were clearly a hit with the locals.

William and Kate received gifts before departing Bhutan.

In Agra, security was beefed up around the monument, with several paramilitary personnel standing guard with sniffer dogs.

The landmark - one of the seven wonders of the modern world - was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the mid 17th century, a monument of love to his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

Outside the Taj Mahal, locals clambered to get near the site and catch a glimpse of the royal visitors.

In the searing temperatures, the pair strolled around the site and admired the immaculate formal gardens and fountains.

Kate looked effortlessly cool in a pretty white and blue dress, while William was smart casual in chinos, a jacket and an open-necked shirt.

Summing up the tour, the couple's spokesman said: 'I think it's a huge success. They had very clear objectives when this tour was being planned and they have achieved all of those'.

In searing temperatures of 41C (106F) the Duke and Duchess walked around the grounds of the Taj and were given a guided tour of the mausoleum itself.

When the couple first arrived they stopped to admire the imposing building from its main gate.

The monument was a stunning venue for the couple to visit ahead of their fifth wedding anniversary on the 29th of this month.

After sitting on the bench the couple were taken on a private tour inside.

With the couple's fifth wedding anniversary less than two weeks away, the Taj - with its history steeped in love and devotion - was the perfect final destination for their tour of Bhutan and India.

The prince has made clear that while he is keen to follow in his mother's footsteps, he and Kate will not dwell in the past.

This was the last engagement for the Royal couple after their week-long visit to India and Bhutan.

The couple happily posed for photographs with workers at the world-renowned monument on the last day of their tour.

Kate and William made their way slowly through the gardens with their guide and walked on to a large marble plinth containing a large fountain before going over to the bench that the Duke's mother had sat on during her tour with the Prince of Wales in February 1992.

As the couple wrapped up their tour, Kensington Palace tweeted: 'TRH want to say thank you to the people of India for their hospitality and warmth'.

Kate described the Taj Mahal as the 'perfect' place to visit just before her fifth wedding anniversary.

Diana's visit in 1992 could not be in starker contrast to today's tender display of affection between a couple still clearly in love as they prepare to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary on the 29th of this month.

William has made his own pilgrimage to the Taj Mahal to create, he says, 'new memories' of his own.

Prince Charles sits on the bench at the Taj Mahal where he vowed to bring a wife back... 12 years before Diana was pictured in the same place but alone.

The bench Princess Diana was sitting on was the seat on which 12 years earlier a single Charles had posed and vowed to return one day with a bride.

Princess Diana was pictured on a bench in front of the Indian landmark in 1992 as her marriage to Prince Charles unraveled.

Diana was famously photographed alone on this marble bench but the image of William and Kate, sitting together, will forge new memories of the iconic building for the couple.

The couple's spokesman said they had only decided this morning that they would sit on the bench - and not because of its associations with Diana, but because it is 'where everyone sits to admire the Taj's beauty'.