Duke’s solemn pilgrimage to Jerusalem’s holiest sites
It was the simplest of gestures. Eyes closed, with one hand resting reverentially on the sacred stones, the Duke of Cambridge took a moment of quiet contemplation at Jerusalem’s Western Wall. At the close of a landmark trip to Israel, few could blame him if he felt the weight of history on his shoulders.
Fresh from navigating the political differences in one of the world’s most turbulent regions, the Duke made a visit to Jerusalem’s holiest sites, paying his respects to Judaism, Islam and Christianity.
Taken on a whirlwind tour of the Old City, he took in the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, Temple Mount and the Al-aqsa mosque, the Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in a morning which left onlookers of each faith visibly moved. Little surprise, then, that Ephraim Mirvis, the Chief Rabbi, described it as a “moment of history”. Given a tour of the sites by religious leaders, the Duke wore a kippah to the Western Wall, took his shoes off to visit the mosque, and took bread and salt at the Russian Orthodox church at the end of a royal visit that has seen him undertake a finely balanced programme designed to respect both Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
In his last few hours in Jerusalem, the second-in-line to the throne extended the same courtesy to those of faith in a series of solemn engagements during which he was surrounded by jubilant, chaotic crowds and armed local guards. He began on the Mount of Olives, a Jewish burial ground and site of pilgrimage for Christians who believe it to be the home of key moments in the life of Jesus. Taking 20 minutes to absorb the view of the sunbathed Old City from a viewing point, he learnt the local landmarks with the help of a guide before moving to the Church of St Mary Magdalene, a golden-domed Russian Orthodox church in the Garden of Gethsemane. Welcomed to the church by Archimandrite Roman, Father Roman, the head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, he took bread and salt before entering for a moment of private contemplation.
He then made his way down the church steps to the crypt of Princess Alice, his great-grandmother, where he laid flowers picked from the garden and bowed his head to pray for several minutes. Shown several photographs of Princess Alice, he said: “It’s absolutely fascinating to hear about the family history.”
Father Roman told him: “Please send our best wishes to your grandfather and your father, and let them know that we are taking care of Princess Alice and we pray for her.”
The Duke left with an array of gifts, including small crosses and wooden Easter eggs for Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte “so they
‘He spent a minute with his eyes shut, as worshippers sang, or shouted “We love you”’
have a blessing from Jerusalem”. Next on the packed itinerary was Temple Mount, exceptionally holy to both Jews and Muslims, situated in the shadow of the Mount of Olives, on an elevated plaza above the Western Wall. The Duke spent nearly an hour walking round the site with scholar Dr Mustafa Abu Sway, taking off his shoes out of respect before entering the mosque.
At the fourth site of the day, the Western Wall, the Duke was watched by hundreds of onlookers as he wore a kippah skull cap and placed a written prayer on a folded piece of paper into one of the cracks in the wall.
Holding his right hand against the ancient stones, he spent around a minute with his eyes shut, as worshippers around sang or shouted well-wishes including “We love you”.
With not a moment to lose, his final visit – the Church of the Holy Sepulchre – the Duke lit a candle at the spot where Jesus is believed to have been crucified as he visited the holiest site in the Christian world. The Chief Rabbi called the visit a “remarkable gesture of friendship”, while Father Roman proclaimed it a “great honour”.
For the Duke, who flew home last night to his wife and three children – happily in time to watch England’s World Cup clash with Belgium – it was the crowning moment of a tour which, despite its challenges, passed in peace.