Prince William with the Duchess of Cambridge. Photo: Getty
She might be part of Britain’s royal family, but did you know that HRH Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, hasn’t lived her entire life in the UK? In fact, the mother of three spent two years in the Middle East during her childhood – and her husband, Prince William, is about to pay a visit to her former hometown.
The Duke of Cambridge will journey to Jordan later this month on an official royal tour, where he will be hosted by Crown Prince Hussein, a Kensington Palace spokesperson revealed this week. During his visit, the second in line to the British throne will stay in Amman, the capital where the then-Kate Middleton lived between 1984 and 1986. The future duchess attended nursery in the city, after the Middleton family relocated because of her father Michael’s managerial role with British Airways.
Prince William will also tour the Roman ruins of Jerash, a spot where the Duchess of Cambridge was once pictured with her family. In a photo released by the Middleton family around the time of William and Catherine’s wedding in 2011, she was snapped taking in the sights with her father and sister Pippa.
A young Catherine Middleton with sister Pippa and father Michael in Jerash, Jordan. Photo by the Middleton Family/Clarence House via Getty
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“Prince William will visit the spectacular archaeological site at Jerash, a first century Roman city that is one of the largest Roman remains anywhere in the Mediterranean region, and one of Jordan’s greatest tourist attractions,” a statement from Kensington Palace confirmed. “It is, by the way, the site where the young Catherine Middleton is pictured standing on a pile of stones with her father and young sister when the Middleton family lived in Jordan.”
The royal’s tour will take place from June 24 to 28, with Jordan the first stop on his itinerary among other Middle Eastern destinations, including the occupied Palestinian territories. It is also Prince William’s first visit to the region, Kensington Palace added, with a goal of meeting “as many people from as many walks of life as possible.”
“In Jordan, the Duke of Cambridge will be able to build on the strong links that exist not only between the two countries, but also those that exist between their respective royal families who have visited each other many times over the years,” the palace stated.
During his time in Jordan, Prince William will also visit Fablab, an initiative of the Crown Prince Foundation that equips young entrepreneurs with the technology they need. In Jerash, HRH will meet with young people supported by Makani, an education and support charity that works with local children and those from refugee communities.
“As you know, there has been unrest in the Middle East for decades, most recently in Syria, and consequently the country of Jordan is hosting over 655,000 refugees – a staggering act of generosity and humanitarianism for a country with a population of 9.5 million,” Kensington Palace said. The prince’s whistle-stop visit will also include meetings at the Dar Na’mah Centre, which helps women develop their own livelihoods, Al Quds College, and crew members of the Jordanian Air Ambulance. Prince William will not be accompanied by the Duchess of Cambridge, who welcomed their third child, Prince Louis, in April.
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