Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, will visit Israel this summer, it has been announced.
It will be the first state visit to Israel by a member of the British Royal Family in the country’s 70-year history.
Kensington Palace revealed this morning that he would travel to Israel along with the Palestinian territories and Jordan.
No member of the Royal Family has made an official trip to Israel since it was established in 1948, despite a series of invitations from the Israeli government.
In a statement this morning the Palace said: “The Duke of Cambridge will visit Israel, Jordan and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in the summer.
The Duke of Cambridge will visit Israel, Jordan and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in the Summer. pic.twitter.com/VSdx7ts1Ff
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) March 1, 2018
“The visit is at the request of Her Majesty’s Government and has been welcomed by the Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian authorities.”
Sadly, however, the Kensington Palace statement incorrectly referred to the Palestinian Territories as “occupied”.
Mark Regev, Israel’s ambassador to Britain, said: “Israel looks forward to welcoming His Royal Highness this summer, for what promises to be an exciting and historic visit.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, said: “We welcome the announcement on the arrival of Prince William to Israel. This is a historic visit, the first of its kind, and it will be greeted here with great affection.
We welcome the announcement of Prince William's visit to Israel. This is an historic visit, the first of its kind, and he will be welcomed here with great affection. I have instructed @IsraelMFA to coordinate preparations for the visit to ensure its success.
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) March 1, 2018
“I have instructed the Foreign Ministry director general to coordinate the preparations ahead of the visit in order to ensure its success.”
This morning President Rivlin tweeted: “Nechama & I were happy to hear @KensingtonRoyal announcement, and look forward to welcoming #PrinceWilliam, the Duke of Cambridge, on an official visit to the State of #Israel later this year.
“A very special guest, and a very special present for our 70th year of independence.”
People, it's legit – not a Purim Spiel. I just spoke to comms at the Palace and they sent me the statement. For the first time in Israel's history, a royal (Prince William) will be paying an official state visit pic.twitter.com/giRI3hW8C0
— Daniel Sugarman (@Daniel_Sugarman) March 1, 2018