Duchess of Edinburgh Opens Zambia Visit in 'Aeroplane Clothes' After Luggage Delay

The Duchess of Edinburgh opened a five-day visit to Zambia without her suitcase and laughed about it.

She told guests at her first engagement that she was meeting them in her "aeroplane clothes" because her tour wardrobe had been held up in transit, according to Royal Central. The suitcase never showed. Plans for the start of the trip had to be quickly reshaped.

The delayed luggage did not stop the programme. The Duchess kept to her first meeting at Community House in Lusaka, where she sat down with First Lady of Zambia Mutinta Hichilema. She was joined there by British High Commissioner to Zambia Rebecca Terzeon, Britain's top diplomat in the country.

The trip itself runs from Monday 14 September to Friday 18 September, according to Royal.uk. The Court Circular, the palace's daily record of official engagements, noted that the Duchess had departed from Heathrow Airport, London, for Zambia on the evening of 13 September. The Royal Family published its account of the visit, titled "The Duchess of Edinburgh in Zambia", dated 16 September 2026.

There was a sweet arrival gift for the hosts. The Duchess presented President of Zambia Haikainde Hichilema with three pots of honey. One came from her own hive at Bagshot Park, her home in Surrey, and the others came from hives kept at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.

Her conversation with President Hichilema ran long. The meeting stretched well beyond its allotted time, Hello! Magazine reported, a sign of a chatty start to the five days.

The stated aim of the visit is to celebrate the relationship between Zambia and the UK. The programme focuses on shared interests including gender equality, climate and nature, and education and research partnerships.

What makes this stand out is the tone. A royal tour usually runs on pressed outfits and precise timings. This one started with creased travelling clothes, three jars of honey and a very long first chat.