LONDON: Britain’s Prince Charles has arrived in the Middle East for a four-day trip to Jordan and Egypt that started on Tuesday, after agreeing with the Queen that the trip must go ahead despite her ill-health.
Charles — the first in line to the throne — is said to have discussed the trip with the queen and agreed with her that the official visit must still go ahead. It is designed to strengthen ties with Egypt and Jordan, both of which have longstanding relationships with Britain.
Queen Elizabeth II, 95, is the UK’s longest-reigning monarch — she has sat on the throne since 1952.
She has reduced her normally packed schedule to “light duties” until the end of the year after spraining her back.
Prince Charles, 73, and his wife Camilla, 74, were greeted on the tarmac by a Jordanian color guard.
They met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Queen Rania at the Al-Husseiniya Palace in Amman, where they aimed to build on the longstanding ties between the two royal families.
They were scheduled to visit religious and historical sites during their trip to Jordan before heading to Egypt on Thursday.
The trip will see them carry out over 30 official engagements between them in Jordan and then Egypt.
The British Embassy said last month that the visit was aimed at shoring up “strong bilateral relations” on the centenary of relations between Amman and London.
The royal visit will be putting particular emphasis on combating climate change in the wake of the Glasgow conference, and interfaith tolerance.
