The Duke of Cambridge will travel without the Duchess of Cambridge and their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, in a personal and political trip to the Middle East this month.
His five-day trip will start with him visiting the Jerash archaeological site where a young Duchess of Cambridge was photographed posing in the sunshine when she lived in Jordan with her family for a short time. The photograph shows her standing on a pile of stones with her father, Michael and sister, Pippa.
Whilst in the Middle East, the Duke of Cambridge will also be attending a range of meetings with political and religious leaders during ongoing tensions in the area. This will include meetings with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Reuven Rivlin and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
It is the first official trip to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories by a member of the Royal Family on behalf the Government.
The purpose of the Duke’s trip is to meet as many people from as many walks of life as possible. This includes meeting many young people, such as young entrepreneurs and refugees.
To end the trip, the Duke of Cambridge will visit the Mount of Olives where he will visit the grave of his great-grandmother, Princess Alice. The Duke of Edinburgh has previously visited the grave of his mother, and so has the Prince of Wales.
A Kensington Palace spokesman said: “The historic nature of this tour is of course important and the Duke considers it a great privilege to be undertaking the first ever official royal tour of Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and to be able to help further strengthen the friendship between Jordan and the United Kingdom.
“More importantly, however, the Duke is looking forward to building a real and enduring relationship with the people of the region.
“In particular he is pleased that his programme will allow him to meet a number of people from his own generation and young Jordanians, Israelis and Palestinians.”
The Duke of Cambridge’s visit to the Middle East takes place later this month.
