UK's Prince Charles says Jordan 'dear to my heart' on centenary

Prince Charles said Jordan has set great examples with efforts to fight climate change and build regional peace

Prince Charles, the UK's Prince of Wales, congratulates Jordan on the occasion of the country's centenary. Jordan TV twitter

Prince Charles has recorded a message of heartfelt congratulations to Jordan on its centenary.

"As salaam alaykum. I take great pleasure in offering his majesty King Abdullah II and the Jordanian people my warmest possible greetings on the occasion of Jordan's centenary," said the British royal, noting this year also marks "100 years of partnership between Jordan and the United Kingdom."

Prince Charles also called for "investing in the links between our young people so that they come to know at first hand the uniqueness of our relationship, built on a wonderful combination of the traditional and the modern. So, I am delighted that both my Prince's Trust and the Turquoise Mountain Foundation have been able to establish roots in your very special country."

The Turquoise Mountain Trust is a charity established by Prince Charles that works on heritage projects, training artisans to make jewellery and craftwork in a number of countries in the Middle East, including Jordan.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah, and Prince Hassan bin Talal, and, behind them, Princes Rashid bin Hassan, Hamzah bin Hussein, Feisal bin Hussein, Talal bin Muhammed, Hashim bin Hussein, Ali bin Hussein and Ghazi bin Muhammed visit the tomb of King Hussein on Jordan's centenary on April 11, 2021. Courtesy of the Royal Hashemite Court

Jordan's King Abdullah II, Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah, and Princes Hasan bin Talal, Feisal bin Al Hussein, Ali bin Al Hussein, Hamzah bin Al Hussein, Hashim bin Al Hussein, Talal bin Muhammed, Ghazi bin Muhammed and Rashid bin Hasan visit the tomb of King Talal on Jordan's centenary on April 11, 2021 Courtesy of the Royal Hashemite Court

King Abdullah II, Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah, and Princes Hasan bin Talal, Feisal bin Al Hussein, Ali bin Al Hussein, Hamzah bin Al Hussein, Hashim bin Al Hussein, Talal bin Muhammed, Ghazi bin Muhammed and Rashid bin Hasan visit the tomb of Jordan's founder King Abdullah on the kingdom's centenary on April 11, 2021. Courtesy of the Royal Hashemite Court

The Prince's Trust runs courses in business and personal development for disadvantaged young people, on multiple continents including Europe.

The prince then described the disappointment and suffering arising from the global pandemic and briefly laid out a vision for post-Covid-19 recovery around the world, involving more initiatives to combat climate change and to support the environment.

This was something Jordan excelled at, said the prince, who suffered from Covid-19 in March last year, which he described as a "strange, frustrating and often distressing experience".

He also talked about conservation.

"I share his majesty King Abdullah's passion for biodiversity in all its forms. I can only commend Jordan's commitment to the Global Ocean Alliance, through the designation of seven kilometres of your coastline as a marine protection area."

Echoing comments by the leaders of the UAE who joined Jordan in celebrating the centenary, Prince Charles highlighted the peace-building role Jordan has played in the region over the decades, what he called, "remarkable and long-standing diplomacy in the region. Jordan has been a tireless advocate for peace and a vital force for stability."

Prince Charles finished his address by saying that he hoped he would be able to visit Jordan again soon, with his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

"The kingdom and people of Jordan have always been very dear to my heart and I have so many cherished visits over the years. My wife and I were deeply, deeply disappointed that our planned visit to Jordan in March last year had to be postponed because of this dreadful global pandemic," he said.

He is just one of the dozens of world leaders, members of royal families and senior government officials who have wished Jordan well in recent days.

Canada's Justin Trudeau congratulated Jordan on Sunday in a video message in which he said he wished he could have been in Amman in person to mark the occasion.

"After all," he said, "people have always been at the heart of what has brought our two countries together."