BICOM

Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, arrived in Jordan yesterday to begin his five-day tour of the Middle East, which will include a historic first official Royal visit to Israel.

He arrived at the Marka Military Airport in Amman, Jordan, yesterday where he was greeted by Crown Prince Al-Hussein bin Abdullah II. Prince William was accompanied by the Crown Prince for a visit to the TechWorks Fabrication Lab (FabLab) at the King Hussein Business Park. Whilst there he used a state of the art laser cutter to produce the crest of his favourite football team, Aston Villa.

He also visited the Al-Hussein Technical University before attending a Queen’s Birthday Party reception where he delivered a message on her behalf. Whilst in Jordan the Duke of Cambridge commented: “The welcome that The Crown Prince showed me today is one that I will always remember, and which I hope to be able to reciprocate one day in the UK.”

Prince William, who is the President of England’s Football Association, was unable to watch the team’s World Cup match against Panama yesterday evening but Kensington Palace said he avoided finding out the score and later watched the game with the Jordanian Crown Prince at his palace.

Today, the Duke of Cambridge is visiting the historic Roman town of Jerash, again accompanied by the Crown Prince. He attended a celebration for young people, including Syrian refugees from the UNICEF supported Makani programme. Later today Prince William will visit a new base for the Jordanian military Quick Reaction Force that is supported by British army officers and plays a vital role in the fight against ISIS. He will also meet the Jordanian Air Ambulance service at Marka Airport before departing for Israel this evening.