Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla touched down in Egypt on Thursday, meeting President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Egyptian first lady Entissar Amer and visiting historic sites in Cairo.
The royal couple received a formal welcome at the presidential palace at the start of their first visit to Egypt in 15 years.
At their meeting, the prince and Mr El Sisi discussed efforts to counter terrorism and extremism as well as co-operation between the two countries in areas such as health and higher education, according to a statement issued by the president's office.
After a separate meeting with Camilla, Egypt’s first lady wrote on her Facebook page that the two discussed the Egyptian government’s efforts to empower women.
Several markets in the Egyptian capital were closed for security reasons as the British royals visited Al Azhar Mosque, with television footage showing the prince meeting Sheikh Ahmed Al Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, and other officials.
Social media buzzed with a positive reaction to Camilla, who wore the hijab. Egyptian Twitter and Facebook users praised the Duchess of Cornwall for showing respect for the country's culture.
Prince Charles’s meeting with the Grand Imam of Al Azhar was seen as particularly important given their shared interest in interfaith dialogue.
The Prince of Wales helped start a British academic scholarship program which allows Al Azhar scholars to pursue degrees in Islamic studies at British universities before returning to Al Azhar to work as faculty members. Launched in 2015, the program aims to promote mutual understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims.
Sheikh El Tayeb has forged close relations with the Vatican and has also met the Archbishop of Canterbury, the most senior figure in the Anglican Church.
The Al Azhar mosque in Cairo's old quarter was built more than a 1,000 years ago and has become one of the foremost seats of Sunni Islamic learning.
The old quarter is also home to the Khan El Khalili bazaar, with sites dating back to the Mameluke and Ottoman eras, and the city's historic gold market and tea houses.
While Prince Charles met Sheikh El Tayeb, the Duchess of Cornwall attended a sebou — a traditional celebration usually held on the seventh day after a child's birth that dates back to Pharaonic times.
The duchess, who hopes to use the visit to the Middle East to draw attention to women's rights issues, could be seen in videos posted on social media attending a gathering of local women at a house near Al Azhar.
South-west of Cairo, tourists and onlookers at the Giza plateau waited for the royals to arrive amid high security.
“We were asked on Wednesday night to clear out of the Giza complex and instructed to take our camels and horses out of the area,” said one tourism worker at the pyramid complex.
He told The National that tourists would be allowed to stay in the complex during the prince's visit to keep the area busy and highlight the recovery of the country's tourism sector.
The heir to the British throne arrived as the sun began to set, with a convoy of vehicles snaking through lines of journalists and security personnel to reach the Giza Pyramids.
After touring the capital, the royal couple were scheduled to make the two-hour journey to Alexandria, which is at the frontline of climate change.
Following Cop26 climate summit that wound up in the Scottish city of Glasgow this month, Egypt is to host the next round of the UN climate summit at its Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh next year.
Prince Charles is the most senior royal who travels overseas, representing his mother Queen Elizabeth II, who stopped overseas tours a few years ago because of her age.
The prince also represented the royal family at the climate summit, at which British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned in a speech that Alexandria was among the world cities at risk of being lost “beneath the waves” because of climate change.
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Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, leave Jordan to fly to Egypt on the third day of their tour of the Middle East. Reuters -
The Prince of Wales and the duchess flew from Queen Alia International Airport in Amman. Reuters -
Prince Charles and Camilla attend a centenary celebration of the founding of the Jordanian state at the Jordan Museum in Amman. AFP -
The royal couple arrive at the celebration. AFP -
Prince Charles and Camilla are on a three-day visit to the country. EPA -
Prince Charles and Camilla are welcomed to the centenary celebration. Reuters -
Britain's Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, talks with a Jordanian army member. Reuters -
Prince Charles addresses the crowds. Reuters -
Prince Charles and Camilla arrive with British Ambassador to Jordan, Bridget Brind, and British Council Director in Jordan, Summer Xia. Reuters -
Prince Charles and Camilla with British Ambassador to Jordan Bridget Brind and Jordanian Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad. Reuters -
Prince Charles chuckles as a woman shows a portrait of him, during a visit to the UNHCR Community Support Centre in Al Nuzha, Jordan. Reuters -
Prince Charles visits the Royal Scientific Society in Amman, Jordan. Reuters -
Britain's Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and president of the Women of the World Foundation, holds a tap given to her by plumber Khawla Al-Sheikh, during a foundation event at Manara Arts and Culture gallery in Amman. Getty Images -
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and president of the Women of the World Foundation, holds Sarah Abu Ameerah as she attends an event at Manara Arts and Culture gallery in Amman. Getty Images -
Camilla visits Princess Taghreed Secondary Girls School in Amman. Getty Images -
Prince Charles plants a tree in Umm Qais, Jordan. Reuters -
Prince Charles visits the ancient Roman Decapolis city of Gadara, Umm Qais. EPA -
Prince Charles and Camilla pose for a photo as they visit the ancient Roman Decapolis city of Gadara, Umm Qais, 110km north of Amman. EPA -
Prince Charles and Camilla tour the ancient site of Umm Qais in Jordan. AP -
Prince Charles and Camilla during a walking tour of the ancient Roman city of Gadara. Getty Images -
The royal couple, pictured at Umm Qais, are on the first leg of a tour of the Middle East. Getty Images -
Charles and Camilla are accompanied by Jordan's Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad on a visit to Gadara, Umm Qais. AFP -
‘It was particularly special to visit such a significant place,’ said Prince Charles of the visit. Getty Images -
Prince Charles and Camilla visit Elijah's Hill, near the baptism site along the Jordan River in Amman. Getty Images -
The royals visit the baptism site of Al Maghtas, where Jesus is believed by Christians to have been baptised by John the Baptist, on the Jordan River. EPA -
The royals listen to a tour guide during their visit to Al Maghtas. EPA -
The royals meet Jordan's King Abdullah II, centre, and Queen Rania. Photo: RHCJO Twitter -
The Prince of Wales at the Al Husseiniya Palace in Amman. PA -
The British royals visit Al Maghtas, the site where Christians believe Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist, on the Jordan River. AP -
Prince Charles writes in a visitor book during his visit to Al Maghtas as the Duchess of Cornwall looks on. AFP -
The Duchess of Cornwall and Jordan's Queen Rania travel to their next engagement, in Amman. Reuters -
The trip comes as Jordan celebrates the centenary of its founding. Photo: @RHCJO via Twitter -
Prince Charles with Camilla, King Abdullah and Queen Rania. Photo: @RHCJO via Twitter -
Prince Charles and Camilla are received by Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, King Abdullah's cousin and adviser, at Queen Alia International Airport. Reuters -
Prince Charles is introduced to senior officials. Reuters -
The British royals are in Jordan on a three-day trip. Reuters -
The plane carrying Prince Charles and Camilla arrives at the international airport in Amman on Tuesday. Reuters
When his Middle East tour was announced, the Prince of Wales' deputy private secretary said that global warming would figure prominently.
“In this decisive decade for climate action, the next 12 months is therefore expected to see a significant co-operation between the UK and Egypt,” said Chris Fitzgerald.
“Indeed, both visits will have a major focus on addressing the climate crisis,” he said.
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall arrived from Jordan, where they met environmental activists, fellow royals and visited the city of Gadara — a major Roman settlement in the Middle East — as well as the site on the Jordan River where Jesus is believed to have been baptised.
Prince Charles's visit to Egypt and Jordan went ahead despite concerns over the queen's health. But he said in Jordan that his mother was “all right”.
“Once you get to 95, it’s not quite as easy as it used to be. It’s bad enough at 73,” he quipped, in comments to Britain's Sky News in Gadara.
