Prince William has revealed that his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, is "very upset" not to be with him on his five-day tour of the Middle East - particularly as she used to live in Jordan as a child and loved the time she spent there. The Middleton family moved to Jordan in May 1984 when she was just two years old and her sister Pippa was only eight months.
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Her father, Michael Middleton, was a British Airways manager and had relocated to the Jordanian capital of Amman for work. And by an incredible coincidence, the Duke was introduced to a charity boss during the first day of his time in the Middle East, who knew the exact house the Middletons used to live in.
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At a reception at the British ambassador to Jordan's residence in Amman, Rania Malki, chief executive of Save The Children in Jordan told Prince William that she knew the house where Kate had once lived, because it was now the home of her children’s paediatrician.
The Middletons when they lived in Jordan
"No way!", responded the Prince. "She will be thrilled. She loved it here, she really did. She is very upset that I am coming here without her." During her time in Jordan, the Duchess attended an English language nursery. Her family were there for nearly three years, before they returned to Berkshire in 1986. A picture of a young duchess with her father and sister at the famous Roman ruins at the Jordanian city of Jerash was released before her 2011 wedding.
During the reception, which marked the Queen's birthday, William spoke about the duchess’ absence. "My wife Catherine is very sorry she cannot be here with me so soon after the birth of our son Louis, but her family remembers very fondly the almost three years she spent here as a child when her father worked for British Airways in Amman.
"Catherine's experience is not unique - the interchange between our two countries is real and deep: work, study, tourism and family links. Our historic ties and friendship are played out in the lives of thousands of people who consider both countries home."