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International royalsKing Charles III

Prince Charles to attend King Abdullah’s funeral

The Prince of Wales is to attend the funeral of King Abdullah in Saudi Arabia later on Friday afternoon.

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It is understood that Clarence House officials immediately began working on travel arrangements to have Charles arrive in Riyadh in time for ceremony.

The Prince has been a regular visitor to Saudi Arabia over the years and counted the king as a friend. His most recent visit to the country was in February last year.

Charles will attend the funeral as representative of the Queen.

King Abdullah died yesterday at the age of 90 after spending many weeks in hospital. Upon his death, his 79-year-old half-brother, Salman, became the King.

Tributes have been coming in from across the globe with President Obama saying “As a leader, he was always candid and had the courage of his convictions. One of those convictions was his steadfast and passionate belief in the importance of the US-Saudi relationship as a force for stability and security in the Middle East and beyond.”

Charles visited Saudi Arabia in February 2014. He undertook official engagements in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and made a stop in Bahrain.

Photo credit: Bahrain Ministry of Foreign Affairs via photopin cc