Prince William will visit Dubai next month, Kensington Palace has announced.
The Duke of Cambridge will visit Dubai on February 10, with his trip coming as the United Arab Emirates marks its 50th year and coinciding with UK National Day being held at Expo 2020 Dubai, his office said.
This brief visit is at the request of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and will be William’s first official trip to the UAE. He will make his first major overseas tour since 2019, when he visited the Middle East.
Kensington Palace announces that Prince William will travel to Dubai in the next month (pictured here this week).
William’s visit will follow his father’s, the Prince of Wales, and Camilla’s official trip to Dubai in 2016 (pictured)
“The UK and UAE have a strong bond and Prince William’s visit to the UAE will strengthen these connections as he engages with young Emirati leaders, conservationists and government officials,” Kensington Palace stated in a statement.
UK talent will be featured during National Day at the Expo 2020 Dubai which will also showcase the Commonwealth Games 2022 baton relay, launched by the Queen from Buckingham Palace last October, as it parades through the site to visit Commonwealth national pavilions.
As part of Britain’s post-Brexit strategy, Britain is looking for deals with the Gulf countries to strengthen its ties.
In September, the oil-rich Gulf state pledged to invest £10billion in British clean energy, infrastructure, technology and life sciences, expanding its ‘sovereign investment partnership’ with the UK government.
William’s visit will follow his father’s, the Prince of Wales, and Camilla’s official trip to Dubai in 2016.
Kate and William were pictured yesterday with Deacon Glover (11-year-old schoolboy), at the Lancashire charity Church on the Street. William consoled Deacon Glover, his mother who died last year.
The UAE was created in 1971 by the ‘Trucial States’ which had gained their independence from the UK.
It is comprised of seven states: Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah; Fujairah Ras al Khaimah Sharjah; Umm al Qaiwain and Fujairah.
The duke will be learning more about the efforts to protect the unique fauna and flora of the area during the visit.
He will be able to also highlight his Earthshot Prize for environment and United for Wildlife Initiative, which tackles illegal wildlife trade.
The news comes after William, 39, sympathised with a grieving schoolboy during a visit to a centre helping vulnerable people, telling him things will get ‘easier’.
Prince William, age 39, lost Diana, Princess Of Wales, his mother in 1997 when he was 15. Deacon Glover (11), said that Prince William felt exactly the same after learning Grace Taylor, his mother, had passed away last year at the age of 28.
William put his arm around Deacon’s shoulders and stated: “It gets easier.”
The royal couple met with the schoolboy, and Carole Ellis his great-grandmother during their visit to Church on the Street Burnley in Lancashire. This centre helps those who struggle with addiction, poverty, or homelessness.
After watching the BBC’s December report about the centre’s work with Burnley’s most vulnerable during the coronavirus epidemic, the royal couple asked for permission to tour the facility, which is housed in an ex-gym. They found it very moving and had requested to go.