Jordanian minister solves mystery of Cambridges’ Christmas snap

WHEN the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their three children flew off on a half-term holiday to Jordan, it was considered an entirely private affair.

This week, as they released a photograph from the trip on the front of their annual Christmas card, it was still deemed so private that Kensington Palace would not say where in the country it had been taken.

However, for one Jordanian minister the potential boost from the Cambridges’ visit was too good an opportunity to ignore.

Nayef al-Fayez, the minister for tourism and antiquities, yesterday gave a tantalising insight into the family’s holiday schedule, confirming that they had visited the ancient site of Petra on the trip. He tweeted: “Glad that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge chose their family’s photo that they took in Petra Jordan for this year’s Christmas card.”

The Duke, Duchess, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis posed for a professional-looking photograph at the country’s best-known tourist attraction in a carefully arranged scene including camel saddles and a sheepskin rug.

Their visit is likely to renew interest in the 2,000-year-old World Heritage Site, which like all major tourist destinations has been affected by a fall in visitor numbers during the pandemic.

Jordan, a key British ally in the Middle East, is facing serious water shortages and has taken in a large number of refugees from wartorn neighbours including Syria.

The Cambridges’ holiday took place shortly before the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall made an official visit to Jordan to celebrate its centenary and its diplomatic links with the UK.

Kensington Palace has not objected to the disclosure of the Petra visit, despite aides hoping the family would have the freedom to return to the region privately in the future.

Bridget Brind, the British ambassador to Jordan, also acknowledged the photograph, saying: “Great photo of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their family in Jordan earlier this year.”

She added that the countries’ “100 years of friendship” were “going strong into the next generations!”