BICOM

Kensington Palace announced yesterday that HRH Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge will visit Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan this summer. It will be the first official visit by a member of the British Royal family to Israel. The Duchess of Cambridge will not be joining her husband as she is due to give birth to their third child in April.

No details about the itinerary for the visit have been released but It is expected that Prince William will meet President Rivlin, Prime Minister Netanyahu, King Abdullah of Jordan and Palestinian Authority Chairman Abbas. Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt said the visit was an ‘important and unique opportunity to promote diplomatic and cultural ties in the region’.

President Reuven Rivlin said he: “looked forward to welcoming Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, on an official visit to the State of Israel later this year. A very special guest, and a very special present for our 70th year of independence.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benajamin Netanyahu said:  “This is an historic visit, the first of its kind, and he will be welcomed here with great affection.” Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas welcomed what will be the first official trip to the West Bank by a member of the British Royal family: “We look forward to contributing to strengthening the bonds of friendship between the two peoples.”

Israeli leaders have invited the Queen to visit Israel many times and it had been a source of dissatisfaction in the otherwise warm bilateral relationship that, although the Queen has visited 129 countries, the UK Government never asked her to visit Israel. Israeli President Ezer Weizman made an official State Visit to the UK in 1997.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s mother, Princess Alice of Greece, is buried at the Church of St Mary Magdalene, above the Garden of Gethsemane, on the Mount of Olives. Prince Phillip visited his mother’s grave in 1994 when he travelled to Israel for a ceremony honouring her as a ‘Righteous Among the Nations’ for saving Greek Jews during the Second World War.

Prince Charles attended the funerals of both former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995 and former president Shimon Peres in 2017, but they were not considered official visits.