Duke praises Jordan as haven for refugees
The Duke of Cambridge last night hailed Jordan as a “beacon of hope” for the Middle East, as he spoke of his wife’s fond childhood memories of living there and addressed the plight of Palestinian refugees. The Duke, who is visiting the region, said Jordan should be “enormously proud” of opening its borders and added that its “long-standing commitments to Palestinian refugees” was “remarkable”.
THE Duke of Cambridge last night hailed Jordan as a “beacon of hope” for the Middle East, as he spoke of his wife’s fond childhood memories of living there, and addressed the plight of Palestinian refugees.
The Duke used his first speech of a landmark tour to reference some of the region’s difficulties, ahead of a highstakes official visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories: a first for the Royal family.
Saying Jordan should be “enormously proud” of opening its borders to those fleeing Syria, he said the country’s “long-standing commitments to Pales- tinian refugees” was “remarkable”.
Speaking at a garden party in honour of the Queen’s birthday, he delivered a message from his grandmother who recalled the “special bond of friendship” she shared with the late King Hussein after they ascended to the throne exactly one month apart in 1952.
The Duke also made reference to his wife, saying her happy childhood memories perfectly reflected Britain’s ties to Jordan. “My wife Catherine is very sorry she cannot be here with me so soon after the birth of our son Louis, but her family remembers very fondly the almost three years she spent here as a child when her father worked for British Airways in Amman,” he said.
“Catherine’s experience is not unique – the interchange between our two countries is real and deep: work, study, tourism and family links. Our historic ties and friendship are played out in the lives of thousands of people who consider both countries home.”
Among the guests at the garden party was Rania Malki, chief executive of Save The Children in Jordan, who said the house where the Duchess of Cambridge lived is now the home of her children’s paediatrician.
“No way!” the Duke said. “She will be thrilled. She loved it here, she really did. She is very upset that I am coming here without her.”
Today, the Duke will visit an archaeological site at Jerash, echoing a photograph of the young Kate Middleton posing there on the rocks with her father Michael and sister Pippa.
Tackling the most serious issues facing the region in his first speech, the Duke said: “I greatly admire the resilience you in Jordan have shown in the face of the many security and humanitarian challenges that have confronted you as a result of conflicts in this region. The way in which you opened your doors to hundreds of thousands of refugees from Syria, not to mention your long-standing commitments to Palestinian refugees, is remarkable.
“You should be enormously proud of what you have done. In so many ways, Jordan as an open and stable society is a beacon of hope for many other people in the Middle East.”
The tour will see the Duke focus particularly on young people, though, he conceded: “I am now 36 so I am not
‘ Catherine’s family remembers very fondly the three years she spent here’
sure that I can call myself young any longer.”
Kensington Palace has strongly emphasised the non-political nature of the trip, underlining its purpose in highlighting the culture of the region, and the hopes of its youth.
The Duke will go on to visit young Syrian refugees in Jordan, as well as spending an afternoon on the West Bank including “events that focus on the issues facing refugee communities… and a chance to meet a number of young Palestinians”.