Prince William and his wife Kate are to visit India early next year, royal officials announced Friday during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Britain.

It will be the royal couple's first visit to India, but it is not clear whether their two children, Prince George, aged two, and Princess Charlotte, six months, will accompany them.

The trip could carry memories for William of his mother, the late Princess Diana, who famously posed outside the Taj Mahal, a monument to love, in 1992 as her marriage to Prince Charles collapsed.

"Their royal highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit India in the spring of 2016," a statement from their Kensington Palace residence said, using their official titles.

"Full details will be confirmed early next year."

The news came shortly after Modi, who is on a high-profile official three-day visit to Britain, had lunch with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on Friday.

Modi arrived at Buckingham Palace Friday in a Jaguar – the iconic British car brand owned by India's Tata Motors. He was having lunch with the queen before getting a tour of the palace collection of art and artefacts.

Britain and India have announced major business deals and cultural exchanges during Modi's trip, including an Indian tour for historic British texts such as the Magna Carta and the opening of a Madame Tussauds wax museum in New Delhi.

Modi is being treated to full British pomp and ceremony on this historic visit.

On Thursday he was welcomed by ranks of Scots Guards, saw a ceremonial fly-past by the Royal Air Force Red Arrows aerobatic team and gave a speech to Parliament before spending the night at Prime Minister David Cameron's country retreat Chequers.

Modi is seeking to restore his authority on the world stage after a defeat for his Hindu nationalist party in populous Bihar state on Sunday. He appealed to business to invest in a more transparent India in a speech at the Guildhall, a historic building in the heart of London's financial district.

Cameron said Modi's visit cemented a “modern, dynamic partnership” between the world's fifth-largest economy - Britain - and India, which will soon rank third.

The two countries have announced £9 billion ($13.5 billion) in business deals, including a £2 billion British investment in solar power in India and more than £1 billion worth of London-issued bonds to fund the expansion of India's rail network and other projects.