![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/56C4Y5IWWOH47K3ABDQ2KBSKRA.jpg?smart=true&auth=ea7fbc01931960129878268357085a19e881b724095e809862496be250d22302&width=400&height=225)
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
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/5JLVIQX4CJGILAEQZN2PZD3UQQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=7dc452cb643e8b6a79120cd09a55e791186d164fe42629ed3d19d6b6a9785877&width=400&height=225)
The UK's Prince Charles, now King Charles III, plays polo near Muscat, Oman, in 1986. Getty
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/L3IJYOMGAJCGFHO4Y64XYILL74.jpg?smart=true&auth=a299708410f0d61849d1ae55be772c6eebc2ad6d57ec133f43a2b74d7c4878f3&width=400&height=225)
Prince Charles and Princess Diana at a picnic near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 1986. Getty
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Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak with Prince Charles during a visit to the UAE in 1988. Photo: Al Ittihad
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/IIQE7CJJNJHTBE7YZF52JAZP6A.jpg?smart=true&auth=755f69dc32bbb79a889c237c5492c04f28bc19abc4a7c55941e0e89192c0cd44&width=400&height=225)
Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, attend a camel race in Al Ain in March 1989. Getty
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/M5ZWNUEMJBG7JANURUZEZPL52U.jpg?smart=true&auth=5014c9175c93684cf83e43e3c4ebc01446a3295cb8d7bcb4678ecd6fcb5f7e53&width=400&height=225)
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
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/C7XTGBDYGRBULLNSBIWSZMDEHU.jpg?smart=true&auth=4c773dc5faae5e7fcf204b9cb05240809e2de443632816fcb1d8e744b566488d&width=400&height=225)
Prince Charles in Petra, Jordan, in 2004. Getty
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/UQNY7DICTJGS5JMV6ZH52G744I.jpg?smart=true&auth=bdfe8c34fa187f48f4b0145a04858978fed107993def51df40c3fd08f7540880&width=400&height=225)
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
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/FETW7JUIM5CWHNY33FJIQ3HIOE.jpg?smart=true&auth=1e6f7575657480c436296593c7b5c43a9f32f1b1599947c2444df05cd35b9fef&width=400&height=225)
Prince Charles visits Jordanian children and Syrian refugees at a sports ground in Zaatari, Jordan, in 2015. Getty
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/QC44LATUJBCVVPY27P3DRZ3MIQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=629589c2c65dbf194bf89e432cd6ed83007657da75dc38daa5bb5c4244852ff7&width=400&height=225)
The royal is greeted by children during a walking tour in Muscat in 2016. Getty
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/HCZGYL47RBCGZOLRO5MKHYCQE4.jpg?smart=true&auth=571640501c6391811549359f511e38b03ba9b4a3b809a2e1a87fa64496796988&width=400&height=225)
Prince Charles during a visit to the Tubil Bay regeneration project in Bahrain, in 2016. Getty
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Prince Charles visits Manama Souq, Bahrain, in 2016. Getty
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/JHZECAUOG7SMBRMLXXX4YM265E.jpg?smart=true&auth=401ae5d12adbe2d81a885edf8bdaad8bf16d49c356e548ea04c0a76a37c775aa&width=400&height=225)
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
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Sheikh Abdullah with Prince Charles and Camilla after a meeting at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in 2016. Photo: Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/OB7B6BP5SJ765Z3ZZO3H6ZTLQM.jpg?smart=true&auth=657ce67746f9506266b1e04c35b7b390a5397ee86b073d5ba17101413efb2737&width=400&height=225)
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
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/S4DZEKKUDFHK5NZ3RF2O445ZJ4.jpg?smart=true&auth=268d007fd608f64b0f914e93c53cb349cce6b8423cde84d7ecb9a909ad808996&width=400&height=225)
Prince Charles visits the site of Expo 2020 Dubai in 2016. Getty
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Prince Charles visits Bu Tinah island on the second day of his tour of the UAE, in November 2016. Getty
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/TLBLVMGALJFYLFPQX76E2CYQO4.jpg?smart=true&auth=5c151252aa2f1d5846de0b30a65d4b3222d3016943c8e480e0ef09a5f4357ae6&width=400&height=225)
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
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/IIW6YYZAPVGEJCLVDIVXDEG6ZE.jpg?smart=true&auth=0068643211afaf01b9c1aafe592b8c937add7d2d9c7b0c5e1deb4da08289ee13&width=400&height=225)
Prince Charles and Camilla visit the Great Sphinx of Giza during a regional tour in 2021. Getty
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/56C4Y5IWWOH47K3ABDQ2KBSKRA.jpg?smart=true&auth=ea7fbc01931960129878268357085a19e881b724095e809862496be250d22302&width=400&height=225)
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
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/5JLVIQX4CJGILAEQZN2PZD3UQQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=7dc452cb643e8b6a79120cd09a55e791186d164fe42629ed3d19d6b6a9785877&width=400&height=225)
The UK's Prince Charles, now King Charles III, plays polo near Muscat, Oman, in 1986. Getty
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/L3IJYOMGAJCGFHO4Y64XYILL74.jpg?smart=true&auth=a299708410f0d61849d1ae55be772c6eebc2ad6d57ec133f43a2b74d7c4878f3&width=400&height=225)
Prince Charles and Princess Diana at a picnic near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 1986. Getty
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/PDJ4LTJ4HLTPJBPHBK3ZSIHB2Y.jpg?smart=true&auth=41c778bce65e1a517458dbcc382af5074b099af566e098532206df074c3f1c6d&width=400&height=225)
Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak with Prince Charles during a visit to the UAE in 1988. Photo: Al Ittihad
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/IIQE7CJJNJHTBE7YZF52JAZP6A.jpg?smart=true&auth=755f69dc32bbb79a889c237c5492c04f28bc19abc4a7c55941e0e89192c0cd44&width=400&height=225)
Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, attend a camel race in Al Ain in March 1989. Getty
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/M5ZWNUEMJBG7JANURUZEZPL52U.jpg?smart=true&auth=5014c9175c93684cf83e43e3c4ebc01446a3295cb8d7bcb4678ecd6fcb5f7e53&width=400&height=225)
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
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/C7XTGBDYGRBULLNSBIWSZMDEHU.jpg?smart=true&auth=4c773dc5faae5e7fcf204b9cb05240809e2de443632816fcb1d8e744b566488d&width=400&height=225)
Prince Charles in Petra, Jordan, in 2004. Getty
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/UQNY7DICTJGS5JMV6ZH52G744I.jpg?smart=true&auth=bdfe8c34fa187f48f4b0145a04858978fed107993def51df40c3fd08f7540880&width=400&height=225)
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
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/FETW7JUIM5CWHNY33FJIQ3HIOE.jpg?smart=true&auth=1e6f7575657480c436296593c7b5c43a9f32f1b1599947c2444df05cd35b9fef&width=400&height=225)
Prince Charles visits Jordanian children and Syrian refugees at a sports ground in Zaatari, Jordan, in 2015. Getty
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/QC44LATUJBCVVPY27P3DRZ3MIQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=629589c2c65dbf194bf89e432cd6ed83007657da75dc38daa5bb5c4244852ff7&width=400&height=225)
The royal is greeted by children during a walking tour in Muscat in 2016. Getty
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/HCZGYL47RBCGZOLRO5MKHYCQE4.jpg?smart=true&auth=571640501c6391811549359f511e38b03ba9b4a3b809a2e1a87fa64496796988&width=400&height=225)
Prince Charles during a visit to the Tubil Bay regeneration project in Bahrain, in 2016. Getty
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/DWD2ORY4AJBDRAS3LTMLHLJXBE.jpg?smart=true&auth=a41e12adc93193ec5268972fd9390952aa51414eb2f53e320fb28d196c84f0ed&width=400&height=225)
Prince Charles visits Manama Souq, Bahrain, in 2016. Getty
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/JHZECAUOG7SMBRMLXXX4YM265E.jpg?smart=true&auth=401ae5d12adbe2d81a885edf8bdaad8bf16d49c356e548ea04c0a76a37c775aa&width=400&height=225)
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
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/YTEU62Q2K6BRRTJFBT3OWGJPC4.jpg?smart=true&auth=89c2f4a6ac14f49ad9bc863f789adaf664e9a8a1a5d2b32bda7c5a6fd4f50b7e&width=400&height=225)
Sheikh Abdullah with Prince Charles and Camilla after a meeting at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in 2016. Photo: Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/OB7B6BP5SJ765Z3ZZO3H6ZTLQM.jpg?smart=true&auth=657ce67746f9506266b1e04c35b7b390a5397ee86b073d5ba17101413efb2737&width=400&height=225)
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
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/S4DZEKKUDFHK5NZ3RF2O445ZJ4.jpg?smart=true&auth=268d007fd608f64b0f914e93c53cb349cce6b8423cde84d7ecb9a909ad808996&width=400&height=225)
Prince Charles visits the site of Expo 2020 Dubai in 2016. Getty
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/XDJHWT4KHNCNBHNYWZBPENPEPM.jpg?smart=true&auth=a9da8d9dc1e6a78463f3a4ac3475fd8622c272e48de125585997c85260035da1&width=400&height=225)
Prince Charles visits Bu Tinah island on the second day of his tour of the UAE, in November 2016. Getty
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/TLBLVMGALJFYLFPQX76E2CYQO4.jpg?smart=true&auth=5c151252aa2f1d5846de0b30a65d4b3222d3016943c8e480e0ef09a5f4357ae6&width=400&height=225)
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
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/IIW6YYZAPVGEJCLVDIVXDEG6ZE.jpg?smart=true&auth=0068643211afaf01b9c1aafe592b8c937add7d2d9c7b0c5e1deb4da08289ee13&width=400&height=225)
Prince Charles and Camilla visit the Great Sphinx of Giza during a regional tour in 2021. Getty
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/56C4Y5IWWOH47K3ABDQ2KBSKRA.jpg?smart=true&auth=ea7fbc01931960129878268357085a19e881b724095e809862496be250d22302&width=400&height=225)
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
Prince Charles and Camilla announce Middle East trip
Trip will be couple's first major overseas tour since pandemic began
![Soraya Ebrahimi](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Farc-authors%2Fthenational%2F3a8de609-3114-47b8-a918-4675f8892564.png?smart=true&auth=99aa3f707ed29ba80fedf7196862e82e6f35835fae44ca54f70c10dfba7c6b90&width=70&height=70)
Soraya Ebrahimi
25 October, 2021
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