William walks in Kate’s footsteps at site of her famous childhood snap
THE Duke of Cambridge walked in his wife’s footsteps when he went to the Roman ruins of Jerash yesterday and saw the spot where she posed for a picture as a little girl.
William laughed when he stood on the same spot in the ruined city in Jordan and was faced with a giant 2ft by 3ft copy of the photo of a four-yearold Kate with her sister Pippa and father Michael Middleton.
“Michael’s looking very smart in his flip-flops,” he said to Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein. “Need to come back with the family for this shot.”
The photo from the Middleton family album was released by Kensington Palace in the run-up to the Duke and Duchess’s wedding in 2011.
William, 36, spoke about how Kate “loved” living in Jordan as a youngster, when he arrived in the country on Tuesday – the first day of an historic five-day tour of the Middle East.
Surprised
Kate’s family moved to Jordan in May 1984 when she was aged two and her sister Pippa was just eight months old, after their father Michael, a British Airways manager, relocated to the Jordanian capital Amman for work.
She went to an English language nursery while her parents were in the country for almost three years, before they returned to Berkshire in 1986.
In 87F (31C) blazing sunshine, William went to Jerash to help showcase the 1st century Roman ruins, Jordan’s second most popular tourist destination after the ancient city of Petra.
Samia Khouri, director of museums at Jordan’s Department of Antiquities, guided the two princes around the site during a half-hour tour. She said: “He was very surprised when he saw the photo. He did not expect that.
“But that’s why he was here, because he wanted to take a photo at the same spot where Kate was photographed.”
They also met refugee Syrian mothers and charity workers in Jerash’s amphitheatre. Jordan hosts 650,000 refugees from the Syrian conflict.
The Prince later became the first member of the Royal Family to arrive in Israel for an official visit. He was greeted by Israeli officials at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. He is expected to meet political leaders and members of the public during his three-day visit, which also includes the occupied Palestinian West Bank.
The British Government has avoided official royal visits to the region for fear of upsetting either side amid the ongoing cycle of violence.
Officials now hope William’s visit will help to highlight the need for a lasting Middle East peace settlement.
He will stay with his entourage, including Foreign Office officials, at the five-star King David Hotel in Jerusalem. They have booked 50 rooms.
Sheldon Ritz, the hotel’s director of operations, said: “It’s not often that we have royalty in Israel because we’re not a monarchy. The visit is very historic, so we’re all very excited.”