Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, who turned 65 today, celebrated his birthday in the idyllic backwaters of Vembanad lake in Kumarakom.
Prince Charles and his wife Camilla Parker Bowles were joined by Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, and his family to cut the birthday cake.
He later left for Colombo for the CHOGM summit where he would represent Queen Elizabeth II.
Chandy presented a wood-carved elephant as a memento to the royal guests and spent about 10 minutes in their resort suite. "They appreciated the beauty of Kerala very much and said they would like to visit the state again," Chandy said.
Details of three projects, one of them concerning education of the hearing and speech impaired, were given to the Prince, seeking the UK's support.
As they arrived for a visit to the 16th century Jewish Synagogue, the oldest synagogue in the Commonwealth, at nearby Mattancherry in Fort Kochi, hundreds of people lined up the narrow street of Jew town to greet the Royal couple.
They seemed to be amused to see and hear people suddenly breaking into 'Happy birthday to You', 'Happy birthday dear Charles', as they walked down in the sweltering heat visiting curio shops and a women's cooperative.The couple acknowledged the greetings and waved as they walked past.
Asked how he felt on his 65th birthday, he said he was 'feeling older'.
Prince Charles also picked up some wooden cars and a long wooden train, a wooden rattle, fuelling speculation that it could be for his grandson, George Alexander Louis, son of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
They also visited the Dutch Palace, built by the Portuguese in the 16th century.
The royal couple, who arrived on their maiden visit to the state on November 11, seemed to be happy with the spontaneous response they received from people everywhere.
Asked if he liked Kerala, Prince Charles, who concluded a nine-day visit to India, said:"Very very much. Very generous people, very hospitable."
The decision of Prince Charles to choose Kerala for celebrating his birthday is significant as the state, a top tourist destination, receives the biggest number of foreign arrivals from Britain.
