Duke of Edinburgh visits British-era bunker in Mumbai

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Mumbai, Feb 3 (PTI) The Duke of Edinburgh Prince Edward visited a British-era bunker at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai, an official said on Monday.

The bunker is spread over 15,000 square feet and has 13 rooms. After it was discovered in 2016, restoration was carried out and it was converted into a museum, Raj Bhavan Public Relations Officer Umesh Kashikar said.

The duke visited the bunker and also met Maharashtra Governor C P Radhakrishnan on Sunday. He was also shown some of the historically significant sites in Raj Bhavan premises.

Prince Edward, the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the youngest sibling of King Charles III, started the visit with the Raj Bhavan lawn, which overlooks the sea.

He was informed that the lawn was the venue for the reception hosted in honour of then Prince of Wales, his brother Charles in 1980.

Prince Edward later visited the 'Jal Lakshan’ VIP guest house usually reserved for the President and the Prime Minister of India. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh had been invited to stay at this guest house during their visit to Mumbai in 1961.

The Governor’s Principal Secretary Pravin Darade and Kashikar guided Prince Edward through the historic ‘Jal Kiran’ guest house and the ‘Jal Vihar’ state banquet hall.

During the pre-independence period, Raj Bhavan was known as the ‘Government House’ of Bombay. After independence, it became the official residence of the Governor of the Bombay State, and following the formation of Maharashtra, it was designated as the Raj Bhavan of Maharashtra. PTI VT