Britain's Prince Charles will undertake a tour of the Middle East next month.
Prince Charles
The 66-year-old prince - who was in Saudi Arabia last week for the funeral of King Abdullah - will return to the country, and also visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar on a solo visit to the region early in February on the request of the government.
The visit comes around a year after Charles and his wife Duchess Camilla last visited the region and less than three months since his son Prince Harry was in the Middle East, but royal officials say the return trip highlights the "importance" the government places on their ties there.
A Clarence House statement read: "The Prince of Wales's return to the region, only one year after his last tour, demonstrates the importance Her Majesty's Government places on its association with key partners in the area.
"These connections are underpinned by the long-standing and respectful relationships which exist between the Royal Family and the ruling families in the Gulf."
The itinerary is almost identical to the one Charles undertook last year, but he will visit Kuwait and the UAE in place of Oman.
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