The Queen has welcomed King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan to Buckingham Palace. Elizabeth II was joined by the Princess Royal for the meeting which was also attended by Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan.
The friendship that exists between the two families was clear to see as they greeted one another at the Palace as they chatted about previous meetings. The two royal families have known each other for many years and the Queen hosted King Abdullah and Queen Rania on a State Visit to the United Kingdom in 2001.
After posing briefly for photographs, the royals then held a private meeting before the Queen and the Princess Royal welcomed their guests to lunch at Buckingham Palace. King Abdullah has just marked the twentieth anniversary of his rule – he took his country’s throne on February 7th 1999 on the death of his father, King Hussein.
While in London, King Abdullah and Queen Rania have also attended the conference ”Jordan: Growth and Opportunity” where the monarch gave a speech focused on renewal, change and economic development. The conference came to a close on Thursday afternoon with an address from the UK Prime Minister, Theresa May.
The Queen also held an audience with the President of Slovenia today. Her private meeting with Borut Pahor came on the second day of his official visit to the United Kingdom. However, during the first moments of their meeting, President Pahor told the Queen he had been near to Buckingham Palace on the first day of his visit as he had jogged around the famous landmark. The President of Slovenia also visited the Houses of Parliament today as well as Westminster Abbey where he laid a wreath at the Innocent Victims’ Memorial.
The Queen’s next scheduled engagement is on Tuesday, March 5th 2019 when she will host a reception at Buckingham Palace to mark the 50th anniversary of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales.