© Photo: Getty ImagesAs Prince William's tour of Jordan, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian territories comes to an end, we're taking a look back at some of the best moments. The Duke of Cambridge has spent the past week in the Middle East on official duty, having left his wife Kate and their three young children at home. At the start of his visit, William revealed that his wife was "very upset" he was going on the tour without her as the Duchess used to live in Jordan and would have loved to return.
Kate was only two when her family relocated to the capital city of Amman, where her dad Michael Middleton worked as a British Airways manager. The Middletons spent the next two and a half years in Jordan before returning to Berkshire.
MORE: Kate learnt Arabic and recited verses from the Quran
Highlights of Prince William's tour included visiting 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. William returned to the spot where Kate, her father Michael and her sister Pippa famously posed for a photo in the eighties.
Click through our gallery to see the best photos from the Prince's royal tour…
© Photo: PADuring his visit to Jerash, William was guided to the same rock that his wife played on when she lived in Jordan as a child. The iconic spot was marked with a large picture of Kate and her family. William climbed onto the rocks to be photographed in the same spot before joking: "Need to come back with the family for this shot." He also spoke about his father-in-law, joking: "Michael's looking very smart in his flip-flops."
William had opened up earlier about his wife's time in the country. Chatting to the chief executive of Save the Children, Rania Malki, the Prince was delighted to hear that her children's paediatrician now lived in Kate's childhood home, saying: "No way! She will be thrilled. She loved it here, she really did. She is very upset that I am coming here without her."
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Duke paid a visit to Jerusalem and posed for a photo at the Mount of Olives, a mountain ridge that overlooks the Old City and the golden Dome of the Rock mosque. William spent 20 minutes standing on the viewing point looking out over the sun-bathed city, marvelling at the sight below.
© Photo: Getty ImagesWilliam couldn't visit Jerusalem without making a trip to the Western Wall, the holiest site in the Old City where Jews can pray. The Prince wore a kippah as a mark of respect and followed the centuries-old tradition of placing a written prayer in a crack in the wall.
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, who was accompanying the Duke, said: "Today we experienced a moment of history which will live long in the memory of Jews around the world. The Western Wall stands at the epicentre of our faith. To see the future monarch come to pay his respects was a remarkable gesture of friendship and a sign of the Duke's regard for the sanctity of Jerusalem."
© Photo: PAThe Prince's visit, not surprisingly, attracted a lot of attention.
© Photo: RexOn the final day of his tour, William had one last engagement to fulfil and it was a particularly special one. He visited the tomb of his great-grandmother, Princess Alice. The mother of Prince Philip, Alice is remembered for saving the life of a Jewish family in Greece during the Holocaust by sheltering them in her home from the Nazis.
William was thanked for the bravery of his great-grandmother by the descendants of Rachel Cohen, who was harboured, along with some of her children, in the Princess's home.
© Photo: Getty ImagesIn Israel, William was introduced to Israeli 2018 Eurovision song contest winner, Netta Barzilai. The pair met up in Rothschild Boulevard for a cooling local drink called a cherry gazoz – sparkling water mixed with syrup. They stopped at the whitewashed Espresso Bar, which was the first coffee kiosk built in Tel Aviv in 1910.
"You want me to be a singer? I can't sing a note," William told Netta. "If you heard me sing you wouldn't want that!"
© Photo: Getty ImagesWhile in Jerusalem, William visited Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre, where he laid a wreath in the Hall of Remembrance and rekindled the eternal flame. The Prince was given a tour of the museum before meeting two Holocaust survivors of the Kindertransport who shared their personal experiences with him.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Prince also toured Yad Vashem's Hall of Names with Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis. He signed the visitors' book and wrote: "It has been a profoundly moving experience to visit Yad Vashem today. It is almost impossible to comprehend this appalling event in history. Every name, photograph, and memory recorded here is a tragic reminder of the unimaginable human cost of the Holocaust and the immense loss suffered by the Jewish people.
"The story of the Holocaust is one of darkness and despair, questioning humanity itself. But the actions of those few, who took great risks to help others, are a reminder of the human capacity for love and hope. I am honoured that my own great grandmother is one of these Righteous Among the Nations.
"We must never forget the Holocaust, the murder of six million men, women and children, simply because they were Jewish. We all have a responsibility to remember and to teach future generations about the horrors of the past so that they can never reoccur. May the millions of Jewish people remembered by Yad Vashem never be forgotten. William."
William arrived in Israel with a very special present for Israeli President Reuven Rivlin – a Liverpool FC shirt, signed by former captain Steven Gerrard. William was given a copy of the first known Jerusalem photograph album, containing pictures taken by Elizabeth Finn, wife of the British consul, in the 1850s. The album included a picture of the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, when he visited Jerusalem.
© Photo: Getty ImagesFans and beachgoers swarmed around the Prince as he visited a beach with the mayor of Tel Aviv, Ron Huldai. William was treated to a volleyball match as part of his day in Tel Aviv.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe football-mad father-of-three, who supports Aston Villa, showed off his skills in the Israeli city of Jaffa. William was meeting Jewish and Arab children at the Neve Golan Stadium who were taking part in an Equaliser football programme.
© Photo: Getty ImagesStudents and wellwishers were particularly excited to see William at the vocational training college, Al Quds, in Amman. They whipped out their phones to capture the Prince's arrival and cheered as he waved to crowds. The students are enrolled in the college's media school, training in film and music production as part of the college's partnership with Middlesex University.
© Photo: PAWilliam tried his hand at DJing at Al Quds training college, where he met young Jordanians and Syrian refugees in Amman.
© Photo: Getty ImagesAlthough the Duchess of Cambridge was not participating in the royal tour, Kate was never far from minds. William accepted a gift for his wife during a visit to Ramallah in the central West Bank – a handmade clutch bag made of olive wood that was engraved with the Duchess' name. Carmen Saadeh, the handbag designer, said: "It is a symbol of our land, and a symbol of peace. He liked it very much."
© Photo: PAIn Jordan's capital city of Amman, the Duke, who used to work as an air ambulance pilot, inspected a fleet at Marka Airport.
© Photo: Getty ImagesWhile in Amman, the Duke also visited the Dar Na'mah Centre – a project of the Princess Taghrid Institute. The institute is a charity set up by Princess Taghrid to support women of all ages to develop their own livelihoods and thereby support their families and communities.
William was introduced to women who built the centre, tried traditional food and watched the women make crafts. He also met a group of young orphaned women who have been supported by the Institute to develop skills and complete their education.
© Photo: Getty ImagesWhile in Ramallah with head of the Palestinian Football Federation, Jibril Rajoub, William also enjoyed a kickabout.
