Prince William Set to Visit Israel Next Month

Prince William and his wife are set to visit Israel on June 25th, Kensington Palace said Friday. In a statement, the official representative of the British royal family said that William would be preceded by one day by the Duke of Cambridge.

The royals will first touch down in Amman and spend a day there, and afterward will travel to Tel Aviv. They are expected in Yerushalayim on June 26th, and the next day they will travel to Ramallah and spend a day there. After that, they will return to Yerushalayim and spend more time there before returning to London.

This is to be the first visit of the British royal family since the establishment of the state in 1948. Israel has extended formal invitations to the royals numerous times, but they were turned down repeatedly. However, members of the royal family did visit Israel as private individuals to attend events or visit relatives.

In a statement, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s Office said that Israel “welcomes the news that Prince William will visit Israel. This is a historic visit, the first of its kind, and it will be received here with great affection.” President Reuven Rivlin said in a statement that he and his wife “were happy to hear the news, and we are looking forward to receiving the royal visitors.”