Britain's Prince William toasted the "historic ties" between his country and Jordan as he started his five-day visit to the Middle East in Amman on Sunday.
Speaking at a ceremony at the British ambassador's residence in Amman to celebrate the birthday of his grandmother Queen Elizabeth, William described the special bond between the two countries and their royal families.
Earlier that day, William and Jordanian Crown Prince Hussein Bin Abdullah II paid a visit to the Crown Prince Foundation in Amman. They were given a tour and demonstration of an initiative designed to enable young people to explore advanced technology.
After spending Sunday and most of Monday in Jordan, the Duke of Cambridge is scheduled to travel to Israel and the Palestinian territories. He will arrive in Israel on Monday evening. It will be the first-ever official visit by a British royal to Israel and the Palestinian territories since the British withdrew from the region 70 years ago, leaving behind divisions that remain to this day.
Tourism Minister Yariv Levin and Likud MK Amir Ohana are expected to greet the prince at Ben-Gurion International Airport.
On Tuesday, William will visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and museum, where he will meet with Holocaust survivors and lay a wreath at the Hall of Remembrance. He will also visit the museum's Children's Memorial and sign the guest book.
William will then meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem, and then with President Reuven Rivlin at the President's Residence.
Later in the day, William will take part in a soccer game with Jewish and Arab children.
On Tuesday evening, William will attend a reception at the British Ambassador's Residence that will also be attended by Netanyahu.
On Wednesday, William is scheduled to meet with Israeli youths at Beit Ha'Ir Museum in Tel Aviv.
Sources involved in preparations for the visit told Israel Hayom that the royal family had rejected a number of sites suggested by the Israelis for William's visit.
The sources said the royal family and the British Foreign Office had wanted the Israeli leg of William's Middle East tour to focus on coexistence between Jews and Arabs. However, under pressure from Israel, the U.K. agreed to allow William make a short visit to four Israeli high-tech companies.
Israel Hayom has learned that due to the sensitivity of the trip, Foreign Ministry Director General Yuval Rotem has been tasked with managing the preparations. Sources involved in the preparations said Israel was doing everything in its power to play down tensions ahead of the visit. At least five people involved in preparations said they had been instructed not to discuss the subject.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon posted on Twitter Sunday, calling William's Israel visit a testament to the strong ties between Israel and the United Kingdom
"HRH [His Royal Highness] Prince William, we are thrilled and honored to host you starting tomorrow in #Israel!!! This visit embodies the good and close ties we enjoy with the U.K.!" he wrote
