18 November 2021

Charles and Camilla arrive in Egypt

18 November 2021

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall have arrived in Egypt for the next leg of their four-day Middle East tour.

As the Voyager ministerial jet taxied to a stop at Cairo Airport, Gareth Bayley, the UK’s ambassador to Egypt, and his wife Sara Fawcett were waiting to greet the couple.

Later the royals will receive a formal welcome at the Al-Ittihadiyah Palace from Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and First Lady Entissar Amer.

Charles and Camilla arrived from Jordan, where they retraced the footsteps of Jesus, celebrated the country’s culture and heritage and marked its centenary.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall at Queen Alia International Airport before departing Jordan to fly to Egypt (Joe Giddens/PA) (PA Wire)

In Egypt, highlights of the two-day visit include a UK-Egypt reception overlooking the pyramids at the Giza Plateau to celebrate the bond between the two countries, and a tour of the ancient city of Alexandria.

Charles and Camilla will also visit Cairo’s Grand Imam of al-Azhar to discuss with the religious leader and a group of young scholars religious tolerance and the role of faith in stewarding the environment.

Chris Fitzgerald, deputy private secretary to the prince, said when the tour was first announced that climate change would be one of the main themes of the visit, and other issues would include inter-faith dialogue, female empowerment and efforts to preserve cultural heritage.

Mr Fitzgerald said: “Their royal highnesses’ visit to Egypt comes as the UK holds the Cop presidency and Egypt has been nominated to assume the Cop27 presidency in 2022.

“In this decisive decade for climate action, the next 12 months is therefore expected to see a significant co-operation between the UK and Egypt. Indeed, both visits will have a major focus on addressing the climate crisis.”

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