Prince Charles and Camilla announce Middle East trip

Trip will be couple's first major overseas tour since pandemic began

The UK's Prince Charles, now King Charles III, plays polo near Muscat, Oman, in 1986. Getty

Prince Charles and Princess Diana at a picnic near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 1986. Getty

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak with Prince Charles during a visit to the UAE in 1988. Photo: Al Ittihad

Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, attend a camel race in Al Ain in March 1989. Getty

Prince Charles visits the Karnak Temple Complex during a visit to Egypt in 1995. Getty

Prince Charles tours the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca during a three-day official visit to Morocco in 1995. Reuters

The British royal is served Arabic coffee during a visit to Bait Al Zubair in Muscat in 2003. Reuters

Prince Charles with Maj Gen Andrew Stewart, right, at a British military base in Basra, Iraq, in 2004. Reuters

The UK royal is shown a map of Arg-e-Bam during a 2004 visit to the ruins in Bam, southern Iran. Reuters

Prince Charles in Petra, Jordan, in 2004. Getty

Charles, Prince of Wales at the time, visits the College of Islamic Art at Salt University in Amman, Jordan, in 2004. Getty

Prince Charles wears a bisht during a 2007 visit to a traditional handicraft centre in Kuwait with Camilla, now Queen Consort. Reuters

The royal visits Al Safwa farm in Doha in 2013. Reuters

Prince Charles with former Saudi tourism minister Prince Sultan bin Salman at Al Diriyah in 2014. Reuters

Prince Charles wears a traditional Saudi uniform to perform a sword dance, known as ardah, in Riyadh in 2014. Reuters

Prince Charles visits Jordanian children and Syrian refugees at a sports ground in Zaatari, Jordan, in 2015. Getty

The royal is greeted by children during a walking tour in Muscat in 2016. Getty

Prince Charles during a visit to the Tubil Bay regeneration project in Bahrain, in 2016. Getty

Prince Charles visits Manama Souq, Bahrain, in 2016. Getty

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, receives Prince Charles and Camilla in Abu Dhabi in 2016. Photo: Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court

Sheikh Abdullah with Prince Charles and Camilla after a meeting at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in 2016. Photo: Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court

President Sheikh Mohamed, who at the time was Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, receives Charles and Camilla, at Al Jahili Fort in Al Ain in 2016. Photo: Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court

Prince Charles visits the site of Expo 2020 Dubai in 2016. Getty

Prince Charles visits Bu Tinah island on the second day of his tour of the UAE, in November 2016. Getty

Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, with Prince Charles during his visit to the Regional Conservation Centre in Sharjah, in November 2016. Photo: Ab Dhabi Crown Prince Court

Prince Charles lays a wreath during the Fifth World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem in 2020. Reuters

Prince Charles with Roman Krassovsky, right, Archimandrite of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and chief of its Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, during a visit in Russian Orthodox Church of Mary Magdalene in 2020. Reuters

Prince Charles and Camilla visit the Great Sphinx of Giza during a regional tour in 2021. Getty

Prince Charles stands next to the mahmal, the palanquin used to transport the kiswah that covers the Kaaba in Makkah, during a visit to Alexandria, Egypt, in 2021. AFP

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will be visiting the Middle East next month in their first major overseas tour since the Covid-19 pandemic began.

Clarence House said Prince Charles and wife Camilla have been asked by the government to visit Jordan and Egypt with the visits planned for November 16 to 19.

The prince, a longstanding environmentalist, will be focusing on issues of climate change during the visits, his deputy private secretary Chris Fitzgerald said.

However, the British royals would also discuss matters of interfaith dialogue, women's empowerment and efforts to preserve cultural heritage.

“The first royal tour in almost two years will come at a significant moment in the UK’s relationship with both countries,” Mr Fitzgerald said.

“Their royal highnesses will first travel to Jordan, where they will celebrate both Jordan’s own centenary and 100 years of the UK-Jordan bilateral relationship.

“Their royal highnesses’ visit to Egypt comes as the UK holds the [Cop26] presidency and Egypt has been nominated to assume the Cop27 presidency in 2022.

“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. Indeed, both visits will have a major focus on addressing the climate crisis.”

The prince previously said he was "deeply disappointed" that their planned visit to Jordan in March was delayed by the pandemic.

Jordan and Egypt are already seeing the impacts of climate change with droughts, extreme weather events, loss of habitats and rising temperatures impacting livelihoods and putting a strain on services.

The British royal family has longstanding close ties with many of the ruling families of the Middle East, including Jordan.

In a video message broadcast in April to mark Jordan's centenary, Prince Charles celebrated the "100 years of partnership" between the nations and praised the shared "passion for biodiversity in all its forms" that he holds with King Abdullah.

"The kingdom and people of Jordan have always been very dear to my heart and I have so many cherished visits over the years," he said.

Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, “loved” living in Jordan as a young child after her father, Michael, then a British Airways manager, moved the family to Amman in 1984.

Prince Charles and Camilla will begin their four-day visit in Jordan, with the British heir meeting humanitarian groups he supports as patron, including the UN refugee agency and the International Rescue Committee.

Charles will highlight Jordan's role in sheltering 650,000 registered Syrian refugees and more than 2 million Palestinians.

Camilla will learn about the work of Queen Rania, wife of King Abdullah II, in protecting vulnerable children and mothers, and will take part in a Women of the World event promoting empowerment.

In Egypt, tour highlights include a UK-Egypt reception celebrating the bond between the two countries, which will be staged overlooking the pyramids at the Giza Plateau.

The royal couple will also tour the ancient city of Alexandria.

Prince Charles and Camilla are due to visit Cairo’s Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Dr Ahmed Al Tayeb, for discussions with the religious leader and young scholars about religious tolerance and the role of faith in caring for the environment.

The prince and his wife last visited Egypt in 2006, while Prince Charles toured Jordan in 2015 and Camilla visited in 2013.