Prince William has arrived in Jordan for the start of a trip that will see him become the first member of Britain’s royal family to pay an official visit to both Israel and the Palestinian territories.
The 36-year-old Duke of Cambridge touched down in Amman for a first leg billed as a chance to bond with Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah, 23, a fellow graduate of Britain’s Royal Sandhurst Military Academy.
The second in line to the British throne will then head to Israel Monday evening to begin his history-making visit to the Jewish state and occupied West Bank.
He will hold talks with both Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.
Kensington Palace has underlined the ‘non-political nature of His Royal Highness’s role – in common with all royal visits overseas’.
But the region is a minefield of sensitivities.