Royal Tour to Jordan and Egypt

Day One

Tuesday 16th November: Jordan

Today The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall arrived in Amman, Jordan, for the start of Their Royal Highnesses’ Autumn Tour 2021.

On arrival in Jordan, Their Royal Highnesses were welcomed to Al-Husseiniya Palace by His Majesty King Abdullah II and Her Majesty Queen Rania.

His Royal Highness had a private bilateral meeting with His Majesty, while The Duchess of Cornwall visited the Queen Rania Family and Children Centre (QRFCC) with Her Majesty.

The QRFCC was established in 2005 by the Jordan River Foundation to offer child protection activities to families from Jordanian, Palestinian and Syrian origins. Today the centre offers holistic services that aim to combat child abuse and strengthen families across Jordan.

The Duchess of Cornwall toured the centre with Her Majesty and met local children who were taking part in learning activities and local women who are employed by the Jordan River Foundation.

Next, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall visited Elijah’s Hill and the Baptismal Site of Jesus Christ, Juwafat al-Kafrayn. After being greeted at Elijah’s Hill by HRH Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, Their Royal Highnesses walked around the base of Elijah’s Hill, where it is believed that Elijah ascended to heaven in the 9th century BC.

The Baptism Site is believed to be the site of the wilderness in which John the Baptist lived and baptised Jesus. It lies on the river Jordan on the border with Israel.

Day Two

Wednesday 17th November: Jordan

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall began day two of the Royal visit to Jordan at Umm Qais, the site of the ancient city of Gadara which dates back to the 3rd century BC.

Perched on an imposing hilltop, the ancient settlement allowed Their Royal Highnesses to view the Jordan Valley and the Sea of Galilee.

They were joined by Jordan’s Princess Dana Firas, a global advocate for heritage protection.

Princess Dana highlighted the Hellenic, Roman, Byzantine and early Muslim history of the site, and during the visit The Prince of Wales planted a tree to symbolise the UK-Jordanian partnership and in celebration of the centenary anniversary of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

Next, The Prince met families at Nuzha Community Centre, which provides a safe space for refugees to meet, exchange ideas, engage in community life and strengthen their sense of belonging.

His Royal Highness, who was announced as the International Rescue Committee’s first UK Patron in January, heard about the experiences of refugees.

Later, The Prince joined HRH Prince Hassan and HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan at the Royal Scientific Society. Their Royal Highnesses took part in a discussion on green investment and sustainability-related innovation in Jordan.

The Duchess meanwhile received a lovely welcome at the Princess Taghreed Secondary Girls School, where she met students who were taking part in activities before Her Royal Highness attended Women of the World event.

Addressing guests at the WOW event, The Duchess said:

I very much hope that this afternoon might be the first step for all of you and for WOW to do some serious reaching out and pulling up across our two countries- and that we will have many more opportunities to share our beliefs, celebrate each other’s achievements and inspire one another to carry on…

In the evening, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall attended a reception to mark Jordan’s centenary.

Day Three

Thursday 18th November: Egypt

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall arrived in Egypt today to begin a two-day tour of the country.

Their Royal Highnesses first travelled Al-Ittihadiya Palace to meet The President and First Lady of Egypt. The Prince had a meeting with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and The Duchess met with First Lady Entissar Amer.

Next, Their Royal Highnesses visited the Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo and The Prince spoke to young people studying at the religious institution, telling them to remember all “we have in common, not what divides us”.

The Prince also attended a private interfaith reception with the Grand Imam, Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayeb, accompanied by the Archbishop of the Anglican Province of Alexandria, Dr Samy Fawzy.

The Duchess of Cornwall meanwhile met women and volunteers at Ezbet Kheirallah.

The British Council started work with the Ezbet Kheirallah community in 2017 through the Active Citizens programme, a youth social leadership training programme that promotes intercultural dialogue and community-led social development.

In Beit Al Razaz, The Prince of Wales saw how the Egyptian Heritage Rescue Foundation (EHRF) documents and preserves treasures of Mamluk geometry of Cairo’s minbars.

His Royal Highness met young craftspeople from the EHRF and The Jameel School. Supported by the The Prince’s Foundation, The Jameel School teaches young Egyptians classes in traditional Islamic geometry, drawing, colour harmony and arabesque studies.

Later, Their Royal Highnesses visited the historic Great Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx of Giza. Both the Great Pyramid and the Great Sphinx date to c.2600 BC – the Pyramid is the oldest in Giza and the largest in Egypt!

In the evening, Their Royal Highnesses attended a UK-Egypt reception. The guests represented a cross section of Egyptian society, including Egyptian government ministers and officials, the private sector, military, film and media, and other partners with links to the British Embassy.

Day Four

Friday 19th November: Egypt

Today, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall continued to visit Egypt on the final day of Their Royal Highnesses’ Autumn Tour.

Day two of the Royal visit to Egypt began with The Prince of Wales discussing sustainable business practices with Egyptian business leaders at a roundtable event.

The Prince visited the GrEEK Campus in Cairo to hear from Egyptian entrepreneurs on how they are making their businesses more sustainable.The campus is a technology and innovation park in Downtown Cairo offering workspaces for both start-ups and established local companies.

The Duchess meanwhile visited the Brooke Veterinary Hospital to see the work the charity is doing to help working horses, donkeys and mules. Her Royal Highness first discovered the charity in 2006 during a previous visit to Egypt and took on the role of President that same year.

The Duchess also met local communities at the Jesuit Cultural Centre, which offers artistic and cultural activities and training. At the centre, His Royal Highness met students who have been involved in the centre’s latest exhibition.

Finally, Their Royal Highnesses jointly visited Bibliotheca Alexandrina - one of the largest and most significant libraries of the ancient world. 

The library of Alexandria is a revival of the ancient Great Library of Alexandria from about 250 BC. The library has shelf space for an eventual eight million books, with the main reading room covering 20,000 square metres.