Prince William carries out first official royal visit to Israel

The Duke of Cambridge arrives at Israel Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv (Arthur Edwards/The Sun/PA) Credit: PA Wire/PA Images

The Duke of Cambridge made history when he stepped onto Israeli soil for the first official royal visit, on behalf of the Government, since the country’s founding 70 years ago.

William’s hugely symbolic trip is something he has been keen to do and will see him sit down for talks with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin.

With a visit to Ramallah in the Occupied Palestinian Territories also planned, where he will meet Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, the tour will be a tough diplomatic test for the second-in-line to the throne, who will have to avoid straying into regional politics.

It comes during a period of tension in the area – dozens of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces during recent protests at the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip in the run-up to celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of Israel.

The Duke arrived from Jordan, the first stop in his five-day visit to the Middle East, where he had made a pilgrimage to the spot in a Roman ruined city where his wife posed for a picture when just a little girl.

William spoke about how Kate “loved” living in Jordan as a youngster, when he arrived in the country.

He was able to see for himself the beautifully preserved first century Roman city of Jerash where the duchess, father Michael and sister Pippa visited in the 1980s and posed as a trio for a picture.