Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Prince Charles to Visit Egypt, Jordan in November


Mon 25 Oct 2021 | 09:19 PM
Ahmad El-Assasy

At the request of the British Government, Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will visit The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and The Arab Republic of Egypt.

The tour will showcase these strong bilateral relationships, with a focus particularly on addressing the climate crisis. His Royal Highness will explore how leaders, the private sector and wider society can implement commitments following COP26, and the World Leaders’ Summit due to be held from 1-2 November in Glasgow.

Their Royal Highnesses will visit The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in the year that marks both Jordan’s own centenary and 100 years of the UK-Jordan bilateral relationship.

Their Royal Highness’s return to Jordan, underlines the importance that Her Majesty’s Government places on its close ties with Jordan, which is underpinned by the countries’ deep security cooperation and the long-standing, warm relationship between the two Royal Families.

On the first day of engagements, Their Royal Highnesses will be formally welcomed by King Abdullah II and Queen Rania at Al Husseiniya Palace.

During their visit The Prince and The Duchess will visit programmes and organisations working in areas they are committed to supporting. The Prince will focus on environmental issues, inter-faith dialogue, heritage preservation and the creation of jobs and opportunities for young people. The Duchess will continue her commitment to supporting women, as well as girls’ education. Their Royal Highnesses will also visit a number of sites of cultural, religious and environmental significance across the country.

His Royal Highness will visit organisations helping to preserve traditional crafts and tailoring them to today’s market, including the Turquoise Mountain Foundation which was founded by The Prince of Wales and works closely with the Jordanian Government. The Prince will see how young Jordanians are being trained in modern vocational skills to enable them to compete in the global market. The Prince will also meet partners and beneficiaries of the Prince’s Trust International, which is supporting entrepreneurship and employment in Jordan.

The Prince will participate in an interfaith discussion. This will acknowledge the perse, tolerant and integrated nature of Jordanian society, highlighting the importance placed on religious freedom.

His Royal Highness will meet humanitarian organisations, including the UNHCR and the International Rescue Committee, of which The Prince has recently become Patron. The International Rescue Committee supports refugees in transitioning from camps to local communities and assists them in finding employment. The Prince will highlight Jordan’s generosity in hosting refugees who have fled conflict in neighbouring countries.

The Duchess will see the work undertaken by Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan to protect vulnerable children and mothers, as well as educate parents about child protection and safeguarding. Her Royal Highness will also visit educational programmes for teenagers and young women no longer in formal schooling, and participate in a Women of the World (WOW) event that promotes the empowerment of women from all walks of life.

The Prince and The Duchess will then attend a “Centenary Celebration” Reception, to highlight the depth and breadth of this 100 year relationship and look forward to the next century of relations working together for our mutual benefit.

Their Royal Highness’s visit to Egypt will highlight the country’s close relationship with the UK, and will provide an opportunity to demonstrate Egypt’s growing commitment to protecting the environment.

This visit comes immediately after the UK’s hosting COP26, and Egypt’s nomination to assume the COP27 Presidency in 2022. The Prince has a deep and longstanding interest in these issues, and will be taking the opportunity to discuss how we best work together to combat climate change.

The visit will also highlight cultural heritage preservation and religious tolerance across Egyptian society.

On arrival, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will meet with President Sisi and First Lady Entissar Amer at Al-Ittihadiya Palace, to be formally welcomed to Egypt.

Their Royal Highnesses will then meet with the Grand Imam for discussions and dialogue on religious harmony and the role of faith in preserving the environment. This will serve to further strengthen religious ties between the UK and Egypt.

His Royal Highness will meet with craftspeople and conservationists, celebrating traditional crafts and UK support for preserving cultural heritage, as well as the skills of artisans.

The Prince will also support his Sustainable Markets Initiative through bringing together young entrepreneurs with major companies from the private sector, to discuss the opportunities for growing green, innovative business in Egypt.

Meanwhile, The Duchess will focus on supporting women’s empowerment, through leaning more about the stories of women leaders in Egypt and their efforts to promote conservation. She will also learn more about how female heads of households are coming up with innovative ways of supporting themselves and their families.

Their Royal Highnesses will together attend a UK-Egypt reception to celebrate the bond between the two countries, to be held overlooking the Pyramids at the magnificent Giza Plateau. On the final day of the Tour, Their Royal Highnesses will visit the ancient city of Alexandria.

This programme will allow their Royal Highnesses the opportunity to celebrate Egypt’s ancient culture and spiritual significance, while also looking ahead to a modern Egypt, embracing a greener future.