PRINCE CHARLES AND CAMILLA TAKE IN ROMAN RUINS ON MIDDLE EAST TOUR
Heir to the British throne explores the relics at Gadara, an ancient city in Jordan overlooking the Sea of Galilee
Britain’s Prince of Wales and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, walked around the picturesque Roman ruins of Gadara in northern Jordan on the second day of their Middle East tour.
The city was a major Roman outpost in the Middle East, strategically sited on a plateau overlooking the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights. It is near the town of Umm Qais, a two-hour drive north-west of Amman.
The kingdom of 10 million people was established as the British protectorate of Transjordan 100 years ago. The country was granted independence in 1946 and renamed the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, but it has kept close ties with Britain and the US.
Prince Charles, who wore a khaki suit while at Gadara, said “it was particularly special to visit such a significant place”.
His visit to Jordan went ahead despite concerns over the health of Queen Elizabeth II. But Prince Charles said his mother was “all right”.
“Once you get to 95, it’s not quite as easy as it used to be. It’s bad enough at 73,” he told Sky News in Gadara.
Local media have mostly given only brief coverage to the visit by the royal couple, who met King Abdullah II and Queen Rania on Tuesday at Al Husseiniya Palace, near Amman.
Raed Nasser, a mechanic in Amman who has relatives in Britain, said he watched a news item on the couple’s visit to the palace but had not heard more about their activities in Jordan.
“If I had known Charles personally, I might have checked for more news on them,” he said.
Among other members of the Jordanian royal family met by Charles and Camilla was Princess Dana Firas, an advocate of nature conservation.
She is the wife of Prince Firas bin Raad, whose father is a cousin of King Talal, the king’s grandfather.
The princess accompanied Charles and Camilla on a tour of Gadara and asked Prince Charles about his participation in the Cop26 climate change talks this month in Glasgow, Scotland.
“Quite a lot of success, I think,” the prince said.
On Tuesday, the royal couple visited the site on the Jordan River where Jesus is believed to have been baptised.
Touring Elijah’s Hill, the couple saw excavations around the muddy river, near the place at which Jesus and John the Baptist met, according to Christian teachings. Prince Charles and Camilla dipped their fingers in the water.
The royal couple arrived in Jordan on Tuesday for a twoday visit that includes meetings with humanitarian groups and officials from charities linked to Prince Charles.
They will head to Egypt today, where they are scheduled to meet President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Dr Ahmed Al Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar.
The kingdom of 10 million people has maintained ties with Britain since gaining independence