The Prince of Wales has been so horrified by the human suffering unfolding in the Middle East he’s set to carry out a series of engagements to highlight the plight of all those affected by the ongoing conflict.
In the coming days, Prince William will meet with charities in the UK that are providing humanitarian support in the region and will hear about the conditions faced by those working on the ground.
He will also join a conversation at a synagogue with young people from a wide range of communities to acknowledge the rise in antisemitism around the world.
In October last year Prince William made what was seen as an unexpected intervention when Kensington Palace released a statement expressing his and the Princess of Wales’s profound distress at the devastating events unfolding in the region.
It is rare for members of the Royal Family to make public comments on such contentious matters.
Sky News has been told that Prince William has been following events closely and his extreme concern about the human impact, especially on young people on both sides, has compelled him to want to do more within the diplomatic limits of his position.
In a press release announcing two visits by the heir to the throne, Kensington Palace said: “The Prince and Princess were profoundly concerned by events that unfolded in late 2023 and continue to hold all the victims, their family and friends in their hearts and minds.
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“Their Royal Highnesses continue to share in the hope of a better future for all those affected”.
William will carry out the engagements alone as Kate continues to recover from abdominal surgery.
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Their statement in October acknowledged the horrors experienced by innocent families on both sides, with their spokesperson saying: “The Prince and Princess of Wales are profoundly distressed by the devastating events that have unfolded in the past days.”
The spokesperson added: “The horrors inflicted by Hamas’s terrorist attack upon Israel are appalling; they utterly condemn them.
“As Israel exercises its right of self-defence, all Israelis and Palestinians will continue to be stalked by grief, fear and anger in the time to come. Their Royal Highnesses hold all the victims, their families and their friends in their hearts and minds.”
In a separate statement, the King’s spokesperson said he was “appalled” by the “barbaric acts of terrorism” in Israel, adding the monarch was “extremely concerned” and his “thoughts and prayers are with all of those suffering”.
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In June 2018, Prince William became the first member of the Royal Family to visit Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
It continues to be seen as one of his most sensitive and challenging diplomatic trips to date and clearly had a lasting impact on him.
During the four-day trip, he expressed his own hopes for “lasting peace” in the region.
Source : Sky News
