Leicester: SOAS Report Calls for Healing After 2022 Violence; Princess of Wales Joins Holi
A new SOAS inquiry report has examined how Leicester, once celebrated for the largest Diwali celebration outside India, saw the worst Hindu-Muslim inter-community violence in UK history in 2022. Separately, the Princess of Wales visited Leicester to celebrate Holi with the city British Indian community, wearing white in keeping with festival tradition and receiving a rose-and-pearl mala on arrival.
🤝 SOAS Report Examines How Leicester Tradition of Shared Belonging Broke Down in the 2022 Violence
A report published by SOAS titled Better Together: Understanding the 2022 Violence in Leicester has examined the circumstances behind the worst inter-community riots between Hindu and Muslim residents the UK had seen. Writing in response to the report for British Future, Dr Avaes Mohammed, Project Manager of the British South Asian Bridgers Project, described Leicester as a city that once represented a genuinely inspiring tradition of shared cultural ownership. In a piece published in February 2026 titled From Diwali to Discord, Dr Mohammed recalled how Leicester Diwali celebrations were the largest held outside India, drawing participation from residents of every faith and background. He noted that Leicester was the first British city where no single ethnic group formed a majority, a distinction that had positioned it as a global model of urban multiculturalism. The report asked how, given that heritage, the UK largest ever riots between Hindus and Muslims could have taken place there in 2022. Dr Mohammed spoke with members of South Asian communities in Leicester about what changes were needed to rebuild the culture of shared belonging for which the city had been known. The SOAS inquiry was launched as a formal effort to understand what had gone wrong and to chart a path toward reconciliation. [1]
🪔 Princess of Wales Visits Leicester for Holi, Receives Mala and Wears White in Honour of Festival Tradition
The Princess of Wales, Catherine, travelled to Leicester on March 5, 2026 to celebrate the spring festival of Holi with the British Indian community, making a high-profile royal appearance at one of the most significant festivals in the Hindu calendar. In keeping with the tradition of wearing white during Holi, she wore a bespoke Chris Kerr cream coat and dress, an item she had previously worn at her annual Christmas carol service in 2023 paired with a coordinated sweater and trousers. For the Leicester occasion she chose it alongside a pleated cream Ralph Lauren dress, completing the ensemble with Sezane Dina earrings and an Emmy London Natasha clutch. Upon her arrival at The Aakash Odedra venue in Leicester, she was presented with a mala, a necklace made of roses and pearls that carries significance in Indian culture as a symbol of respect and honour. Coverage noted that the choice to rewear an existing garment reflected the Princess approach to sustainable royal fashion. The visit was widely read as a meaningful gesture of cultural recognition, with the Princess demonstrating a considered awareness of Holi tradition and the importance of the occasion for Leicester established British Indian community. [6]
Sources: [1] British Future · [6] W Magazine