At the time, Princess Diana had recently died in a car accident. The Queen described her death as “tragic” and paid tribute to her fund-raising efforts since Diana had twice travelled to Pakistan to help raise money for a cancer hospital, founded by Imran Khan.
The royal visit marked the 50th anniversary of Pakistan’s independence from Britain. The queen stayed in the country for six days, visiting Karachi and Murree, where the British elite went to escape the sweltering summers during British rule, before heading to India.
She also met Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto, an event which created considerable controversy as relations between the two adversaries were at an all-time low.