The best photos from Prince William's royal tour in the Middle East

The Duke of Cambridge kicked off his five-day tour in the Middle East on June 24, touching down in Jordan to begin the history-making excursion that includes a series of unprecedented stops for a British royal. After a two-day visit, during which Prince William toured the capital city and took in the England FIFA match with Crown Prince Hussein, the prince set off for Israel and Palestine. This portion of the trip, from June 26 to 28, is particularly noteworthy as it marks the first time a senior royal has ever visited these regions. Click through to see all the best photos from Prince William's tour!
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The last day of William's tour, day five, began with an emotional visit to the Church of St Mary Magdalene to pay his respects at the tomb of his great-grandmother, Princess Alice of Battenberg. The princess helped rescue Jewish children during the Holocaust.
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The inside of Church of St Mary Magdalene is absolutely stunning! William spent some time wandering the grounds before visiting the tomb.
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William went on a guided tour of the Russian Orthodox church, lead by Father Archimandrite Roman.
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The Duke was shown some books from inside the church before visiting the tomb of his great-grandmother.
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Who says royals can't be tourists, too? The prince took a moment to pose on the Mount of Olives, which overlooks the stunning landscape of Jerusalem.
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The royal stopped for an emotional moment of prayer at Jerusalem's Western Wall.
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Prince William visited the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest place of prayer, with the British chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and Western Wall chief Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch.
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On his last day of the tour, William addressed the crowd at a reception in the residence of the British Consul-General.
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The Duke of Cambridge chatted during a reception in the residence of the British Consul-General.
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Day four took the Duke of Cambridge to Ramallah, West Bank, where he met with Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister, Ziad Abu-Amr, and Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas on June 27.
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William met with Mahmoud Abbas at the Office of the President.
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Later on in the day – and a quick outfit change later – Prince William visited Jalazone, a refugee camp in the West Bank. The royal took time to meet with members of the public living at the camp, to discuss issues affecting their welfare.
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Prince William attended a cultural event in Ramallah, Palestine after visiting the refugee camp.
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Heading off to Tel Aviv, the prince had the opportunity to meet with singer Netta Barzilai, who won the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest, at the Espresso Bar Kiosk.
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He then jetted off to Beit Ha'ir Museum, where he met with young people engaged in the fields of youth activism, social impact and the environment – all areas close to the royal's heart and very much present in his own activism.
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William appeared to be in high spirits as he chatted with young people at the civil society reception at Beit Ha'ir Museum.
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On day three of his tour, the prince found his way to the beach! He posed with a volleyball team before watching them play a match.
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William took a reprise from the sun to chat with some locals in the sand.
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Of course, he had to show the young ones some of his fancy footwork! William kicked around a soccer ball during a session at the Equalizer football program in Jaffa, Israel.
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The program aims to build a better society in a diverse part of Israel through education and soccer. And the kids seemed pretty impressed with William's soccer skills!
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The generous royal took some time to chat with the group after their session.
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William met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara Ben-Artzi, at Beit Aghion, the official residence of the Prime Minister of Israel.
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The Duke also had the opportunity to meet with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, when he gifted him with a Liverpool FC shirt, signed by former player Steven Gerrard on June 26.
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The prince and president took a walk outside in the beautiful sunshine of Jerusalem, along a path lined by orange trees.
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The duo appeared to be having an animated conversation while enjoying some fresh air!
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While at Yad Vashem, Prince William met Holocaust survivors from the Kindertransport – a rescue effort that saw thousands of children brought to Great Britain between 1938 and 1940. Paul Minikes-Alexander, 80, here shaking the Duke's hand, was the youngest refugee on the Kindertransport. Beside him is Henry Foner, 86, who was also one of the rescued children and recounted a time in his youth when he performed for the Queen Mother with his choir.
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Prince William visited the Hall of Names, a virtual cemetery remembering the millions who died in the Holocaust, alongside Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis.
Photo: ©

The prince met members of a youth choir who performed for the royal in the Hall of Names.
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While on a visit to Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Holocaust Remembrace Center, the Duke of Cambridge honoured those lost with a wreath that bore his name.
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Prince William laid a wreath of red, white and purple flowers in Yad Vashem's Hall of Remembrance. He wore a traditional skull cap, or "kippah," during his visit.
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For the father of three, this was a particularly emotional part of his visit to Israeli, as his great grandmother, Princess Alice, was one person involved in rescuing Jewish people during this tragic time in history.
The princess's grave is at the Mount of Olives, a mountain ridge east of and adjacent to Jerusalem's Old City, which William visited back in 2016.
According to the Times of Israel, the memorial says that Princess Alice “hid the three members of the Cohen family – Rachel, Tilda and Michelle – in her palace in Athens during the Nazi occupation of Greece" and that "Princess Alice personally saw to it that the members of the persecuted Jewish family had everything they needed, and even visited them in their hiding place, spending many hours in their company.” It is said that, to this day, the Cohen family lives in France.
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While visiting the emotional memorial, Prince William left a touching note in a guestbook, touching on the importance of remembering the tragedy of the Holocaust.
"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," the Duke wrote. "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.
The note continued: "We must never forget the Holocaust – the murder of 6 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."
Photo: © DEBBIE HILL/AFP/Getty Images

Making history as the first British royal to do so, the Duke arrived at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport on Monday, June 25 for an official four-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories.
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The royal touched down in Tel Aviv, Israel on June 25 and received a warm welcome. During his four days in Israel he will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial center and take in a soccer game in Jaffa, among other things.
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In a visit close to his heart, the former air ambulance pilot inspected a number of choppers in Jordan - a civilian air ambulance and a military medevac helicopter.
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Prince George definitely gets his love for helicopters from his father!
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The Duke of Cambridge inspected a civilian air ambulance and a military medevac helicopter just before leaving Jordan and flying into Israel.
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At AlQuds College, the prince transformed into a barista as he joined students in the training kitchen for a lesson in coffee-making.
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The father of three also met with young students in their media lab.
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The Duke tried his hand in the studio with young Jordanians at the college on a Neve mixing console, one of only 13 in the world and made in Manchester!
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William visited the Dar Na'mah Centre on June 25, a charity set up by Princess Taghrid to support women of all ages to develop their own livelihoods.
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The Duke took a load off underneath a canopy at the centre, learning about how it operates from a tour guide.
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Clad in shades, William looked dapper as ever in a pair of khaki trousers and a blue sports jacket during his visit.
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The prince watched as a few women prepared food at the centre.
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Smile! The two future monarchs blended in with a bunch of Syrian refugees participating in a photography workshop.
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in Jerash, William learned about UNICEF Jordan's Makani program, which offers support for parents and children who are Syrian refugees. The doting dad, who was surely missing Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, joked around with the program's adorable participants.
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While touring the Roman ruins at Jerash, Prince William and Crown Prince Hussein walked past an enlarged photo of the Duchess of Cambridge in her youth with her sister Pippa and father Michael. The Middleton family lived in Jordan when Kate and Pippa were children, and the Duke was keen to recreate the pose, climbing onto the rocks for a photo before joking: "Need to come back with the family for this shot" and saying that his father-in-law was "looking very smart in his flip-flops."
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The Duke of Cambridge joined Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan on a visit to the Jerash archaeological site in Amman. While chatting with the chief executive of Save the Children, Rania Malki, William said of his wife, "She loved it here, she really did. She is very upset that I am coming here without her."
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The two royals were all ears during a tour of the archaeological site.
Photo: © AHMAD ABDO/AFP/Getty Images

The Duke, a huge soccer fan, held off from watching the England FIFA Match so he could take it in with Crown Prince Hussein! Congrats, England!
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The royal duo watched a rerun of the game after dinner at the Beit Al Urdun Palace in the ultimate man cave.
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The Duke arrived at the party alongside British ambassador Edward Oakden.
Photo: © AHMAD ABDO/AFP/Getty Images

William attended a birthday party in honour of his grandmother, the Queen, at the residence of the British ambassador in Amman on June 24.
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On his first day in Jordan, Prince Hussein showed Prince William around the TechWorks Fabrication Lab (FabLab) at the King Hussein Business Park, where he used a laser cutter to create a special crest for his beloved Aston Villa soccer team!
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Prince William made his grand arrival in the Jordanian capital of Amman, at the Marka Airport, and was greeted by Crown Prince Hussein, 23. This marked the beginning of the Duke's tour of the Middle East on June 24.
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