‘Daddy, is it okay if I give the Princess a kiss?’

As I sit on the most beautiful stretch of white sand on Pulau Redang, I finally have time to reflect on what was, by any measure, the most extraordinary of weeks.

I am feeling a strange mix of exhilaration and exhaustion: exhilaration because I think we organised a royal visit that was rich in diversity and colour; and exhaustion because, for four months, we put our heart and soul into making this the best visit possible.

But, to be honest, I am also feeling rather sad – it’s hard to believe that it’s over and that I’ll no longer have to worry about security within the confines of Hospis Malaysia; or barriers in KLCC Park; or helicopters into Danum Valley. I think I have a case of post-visit blues…

That said, I also feel incredibly proud of the High Commission team. Virtually every single member of staff participated in some form throughout a programme that took the Duke and Duchess almost 2,000 miles across Malaysia.

The programme started at KL International Airport, where the couple was greeted on arrival by Senator A. Kohilan Pillay, the Malaysian Deputy Foreign Minister. News of the couple’s arrival had clearly filtered through to passengers waiting to check in for their flights as there were hundreds of people lining the departure route. My lasting memory was turning around and seeing a huge triangle of security guards following behind us!

The first proper engagement in the programme was lunch with the Prime Minister at Seri Perdana. This was remarkable for two reasons: the couple managed to keep their composure when faced with the challenge of trying durian for the first time; and also, the amazing musical performances of children from Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor’s Permata Seni charity.

That afternoon, the Duke and Duchess visited Hospis Malaysia, where, together with Her Royal Highness Raja Zarith, the Sultanah of Johor, they witnessed the launch of the national paediatric palliative care programme by the Minister of Health.

The Duchess delivered an inspiring speech – her first overseas – and said that through her patronage of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospises, she had learnt that ‘delivering the best possible palliative care to children is vital.  Providing children and their families with a place of support, care and enhancement at a time of great need is simply life changing.  With effective palliative care lives can be transformed.’

The visit to Hospis Malaysia provided one of the highlights of the entire visit for me. Their Royal Highnesses took part in a wet-brick illustration session with young patients, many of whom had illnesses in advanced stages. The children’s reaction to seeing the Duke and Duchess brought a tear and a smile to everyone in the room.

One particular patient, Zakwan Anuar, a teenage leukaemia sufferer, stole the Duchess’s heart – his mother said that he had put off a blood transfusion so that he could see the couple and that his reaction today was as if his leukaemia had gone. If ever evidence was needed of the couple’s unique impact on people’s lives, this was it.

That evening, the Duke and Duchess attended a wonderful state dinner at Istana Negara. Their Majesties presented Their Royal Highnesses with some incredible gifts including a stunning Kris, a Malaysian ceremonial dagger, and a framed collage of photos taken during His Majesty The Agong’s visit to London in 1974.

The following morning, the couple met High Commission staff and their families. My two-year old son was lucky enough to help in handing over a bouquet to Her Royal Highness. I’m sure that he’ll look back at the photos in a few years’ time with great pride and I’m very glad that he decided not to follow through with his request that morning: ‘Daddy, is it okay if I give the Princess a kiss?’

My own conversation with the Duke and Duchess was naturally a highlight for me – I won’t reveal all of what we discussed but it did include me mentioning that we had tried to plan for every contingency, so I would be bringing an orang utan suit to Sabah should a real one fail to materialise!

The Royal Party then visited Assyakirin Mosque next to KLCC Park. For security reasons and for fear of disrupting Friday prayers, the visit had not been advertised in advance. This was the couple’s first official visit to a mosque and I know that they greatly enjoyed hearing about the architecture of the building and how the mosque plays a role in people’s daily lives.

The Cultural Fair in KLCC Park, was always going to be the most challenging event to organise. It was the main occasion for the public to catch a glimpse of the Duke and Duchess but it was almost impossible to predict how many people would turn up.

As we were waiting for the party to come out of the mosque we could see hundreds of people streaming across the grass towards the venue. Clearly, the High Commissioner’s video invitation, which had received over 9,000 hits, had done the trick and that we would get the huge crowds that we had hoped for.

The Duke and Duchess came into their own during the walkabout. They must have shaken hundreds of hands and collected dozens of flowers and cards from well-wishers. The crowd’s affection was palpable and they responded with warmth and sincerity.

Our next stop was the KL Convention Centre, where the Duke delivered an impassioned speech to 1,200 guests about the close business and cultural ties between the UK and Malaysia. He praised the growing contribution that Malaysian companies were making to the UK economy and highlighted that British companies in a wide variety of sectors were doing excellent business here.

That afternoon, the High Commissioner hosted a Diamond Jubilee Tea Party at his residence primarily for the unsung heroes of Malaysian society. It was a chance for the couple to say thank you to people like Justine Morais, the founder of Home of Peace, who had dedicated her life to improving the opportunities for girls from underprivileged backgrounds.

As a huge James Bond fan, I have to admit that my highlight was escorting Dato’ Michelle Yeoh into the party. For a worldwide superstar, who had dazzled audiences in Memoirs of a Geisha and The Lady, she couldn’t have been more sincere or accommodating.

So that was the end of the KL leg of the visit.

The royal party then flew on a plane kindly provided by the Malaysian Government to Kota Kinabalu to start the Sabah programme. The flight was largely uneventful until the last 15 minutes when the pilot informed us that strong winds might force us to divert to the island of Labuan! Luckily, the weather settled and we were able to land safely.

Once again, the reaction of the crowds that greeted us at the airport and then at our hotel was incredible. That night’s reception, hosted by the Sabah Government, was memorable for an outstanding cultural performance.

And so, on to the penultimate day of the visit: a journey into the heart of one of the world’s oldest rainforests. During our initial recce in June, we had come up with the slightly wacky idea of taking the royal couple and the media to the top of the canopy so that they could see firsthand the rainforest’s richness in flora and fauna. We were convinced that these photos would be amongst the most memorable of the entire Diamond Jubilee Tour. This would be the day to see if we could really pull it off…

The programme began with an amazing trip by helicopter over the Sabah hinterland. The view was simply breathtaking and there were times when it felt as though we were only a few metres above the treetops.

Following a short introduction to conservation efforts and research opportunities in the rainforest, the couple were harnessed and taken to the base of the chosen tree. The media had been prepositioned in an adjacent tree ready to snap away.

In a well-reported exchange as the couple were being strapped in, the Duke referred to his uncle, the Duke of York’s recent abseil down the Shard building in London for charity. ‘It’s not quite as impressive as the Shard,’ he said as he looked up into the tree. As quick as a flash, Glen Reynolds, the Director of the Royal Society’s research project replied ‘Size isn’t everything,’ before the Duke returned laughing: ‘That’s true.’

The couple were hoisted 130 feet into the canopy using a counterweight pulley system and were met at the top by a Malaysian PhD graduate from Cambridge University. They were given a brief overview of the wildlife found in the trees and were able to learn more about the conservation efforts. As we had hoped, the amazing photos of the couple with the rainforest stretching out behind them made the front pages of virtually every British and Malaysian newspaper the following day.

After lunch, the couple’s dream was realized when they had a special encounter with an orang utan family not far from Borneo Rainforest Lodge. Suffice it to say that my fancy dress outfit was not required!

That evening, we gave the passengers on our Malaysia Airlines flight from Lahad Datu to Kota Kinabalu a great shock as they realised that the Duke and Duchess were sat amongst them. We had tried to keep this element a secret but clearly news had travelled as the streets surrounding the airport were lined with well-wishers.

So, the following morning, we bade farewell to the party for their onward flight to Honiara. This brought to an end one of the most exciting episodes in my professional career. I hope that when the couple look back at their time in Malaysia, they do so with the fondest of memories and perhaps they will return for a holiday in the not so distant future.

In the meantime, if anyone has a cure for my blues, please feel free to suggest it in the comment box below!