Prince William visits Jordan for historic Middle East tour
AMMAN: Prince William flew in to Jordan at the launch of a Middle East tour that will see him become the first British royal to pay official visits to both Israel and the Palestinian territories.
He was greeted at Amman’s Marka military airport on Sunday by Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah, hosting William for the two-day visit in Jordan.
The 36- year- old Duke of Cambridge’s Royal Air Force plane touched down at the small airport in eastern Amman, where he was given a red-carpet welcome by the heir to the Jordanian throne.
The visit by the second in line to the British throne has been billed as a chance to bond with 23-year-old Prince Hussein, a fellow graduate of Britain’s Royal Sandhurst Military Academy.
On Sunday evening, William attended a birthday party in honour of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, whose official 92nd birthday was celebrated on June 9, at the British ambassador’s residence.
“I greatly admire the resilience you in Jordan have shown in the face of the security and humanitarian challenges that have confronted you as a result of conflicts in this region,” William said at the party.
“In so many ways, Jordan as an open and stable society is a beacon of hope for many other people in the Middle East.”
Yesterday, he visited the ancient Roman ruins of Jerash and a vocational training college for young Jordanians and Syrian refugees.
In the evening, he was set to begin his history-making visit to the Jewish state and occupied West Bank, during which he would meet Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.
Britain governed the region under a League of Nations mandate for almost three decades until Israel’s independence 70 years ago.