The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall have touched down in Jordan on their first overseas engagement since the Covid crisis began in March 2020 – and their first appointment was with a glamorous-looking Queen Rania. The couple, who left the UK on Sunday and spent yesterday enjoying some rest time in the Middle Eastern country, looked relaxed as they disembarked their ministerial plane, Voyager, on the tarmac at Queen Alia International Airport in capital city Amman.
The royals will spend four days in both Jordan and Egypt and are representing the Government during the trip – with climate change thought to be high on the agenda for discussion. After landing in the city to a guard of honor, they were whisked to meet Jordanian royals King Abdullah II (center), Queen Rania and Crown Prince of Jordan (far right) at the Al Husseiniya Palace in Amman.
The Duchess of Cornwall was welcomed by King Abdullah II’s wife of 27 years, Rania.
At the wheel! Rania was seen at the wheel as she drove the Duchess of Cornwall away from the palace on their first appointment – to discuss the Jordanian queen’s charity work with vulnerable women and children.
The British and Jordanian royal grasp hands as they arrive at the Queen Rania Family and Children Center in the city.
Showing off a smartwatch under her cuff, the Jordanian queen chats as they listen to employees at the Queen Rania Family and Children Center explain how play helps the vulnerable children who visit the center.
Charles and Camilla have close links with this part of the world, considering the Duchess of Cambridge spent part of her childhood in Jordan when her father, Michael, worked as a manager for British Airways in Amman. And Prince Charles and Camilla have forged a close friendship with Queen Rania and King Abdullah II over many years of meetings. Pictured: Camilla tries her hand at carving out a hand at the center, as Rania shows off her own impressive craft skills.
The Jordanian royals, who got engaged just six months after they first met at a dinner party hosted by a mutual friend, have been married since June 1993. Pictured: The royals look on as they watch two women weave with brightly-colored wool at the center, which was founded by Queen Rania.
This year, Jordan is celebrating the kingdom’s centenary year. Here, Prince Charles is seen chatting with his hosts as they stand in front of the flags that mark the links between the Middle East and the United Kingdom. Pictured (left to right): The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, King Abdullah II and Queen Rania.
Inside the lavish Middle Eastern palace, the royals, sitting spaced apart, listen as Jordan’s King Abdullah II discusses the kingdom’s centenary year.
Queen Rania (pictured) went to school in Kuwait and studied business in Cairo, Egypt, before marrying into royalty.
First port of call: The royals, who have established a strong friendship with Queen Rania over years of engagements, smile as they chat with the Jordanian queen.
Queen Rania looked radiant in a cream coat dress, worn with a gold belt and matching geometric earrings by Stephen Webster.
Pictured: King Abdullah II becomes animated as he and Queen Rania greet the British royals on the grounds of the Al Husseiniya Palace in Amman on Tuesday.
Gold is the color! A sophisticated-looking Queen Rania accessorized her cream ensemble with a gold couture bag by Louis Vuitton, belt and earrings, with tortoiseshell sunglasses. She completed her look with a pair of Dior pumps with a towering gold stiletto heel.
Handshakes are finally allowed! Prince Charles greets King Abdullah II as the Duchess of Cornwall looks on.
A little warm! A besuited Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall landed at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan, on Tuesday ahead of their first royal trip since the pandemic began.
Camilla, 74, who had reached for a pair of sunglasses to protect her eyes from the Arabian sun at the airport, looked dressed for the warm weather in an elegant blue ditsy floral summer dress.
Meanwhile, Prince Charles, who celebrated his 73rd birthday on Remembrance Sunday, donned a light grey suit, pale lavender shirt and patterned tie for the first official day of their trip. The couple left the UK on Charles’s birthday after attending the national remembrance service at the Cenotaph and have been spending private time in Jordan.
In the coming days, the Prince is set to discuss the plight of Syrian refugees with humanitarian groups the UNHCR and the International Rescue Committee, while Camilla will spend time with Queen Rania, learning about her charity work to protect vulnerable children and mothers. The Duchess will also take part in a Women of the World event while in the country. Pictured: The couple pictured striding down the red carpet at the airport this morning.
The Middle Eastern country laid out the red carpet and a military welcome for the couple. The royal family has largely had its wings clipped as a result of the pandemic, and this is the first royal overseas tour for almost two years.
A regal welcome: The couple received a guard of honor as they touched down in the Middle Eastern capital on Tuesday.
After a busy weekend marking Remembrance Sunday, as the most senior royal at the Cenotaph in the Queen’s absence, the Prince will spend the rest of this week in the Middle East.
The couple flew in Voyager, the ministerial jet, and they were greeted on the runway by a small diplomatic party led by the UK’s ambassador to the country, Bridget Brind.
The Prince and Duchess are both double jabbed and will likely have had their boosters by the time the trip takes place. As the Queen no longer travels abroad, any trip by Charles is akin to a state visit and treated with huge significance. The trip will help the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to use their legendary ‘soft power’, opening doors not normally available to diplomats and politicians.
Prince Charles chats to a dignitary as he steps onto Jordan soil following the five-hour flight.
This trip will help the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to use their legendary ‘soft power’, opening doors not normally available to diplomats and politicians. Pictured: The royal couple stroll down the red carpet following their flight on Voyager.
Among the group who traveled with the royal couple are Stephanie Al-Qaq, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s director for Middle East and North Africa, and Defense Attache Brigadier Jamie Piggott.
Palace bound: Final preparations are made for the arrival of the royals at the Al Husseiniya Palace in Amman.
Pictured: Guards of honor await the arrival of the British royals in the capital of Jordan on Tuesday.