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Dubai: Britain's Prince William set to make first official visit in February

Visit coincides with UAE's Golden Jubilee year and the UK National Day celebrations being held at Expo 2020 Dubai.

Published: Fri 21 Jan 2022, 6:31 PM

Updated: Fri 21 Jan 2022, 6:43 PM

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AP

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Britain’s Prince William is all set to visit Dubai next month, his office Kensington Palace announced on Friday.

The British Royal's visit, on Febraury 10, is at the request of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and will be the first official visit to the UAE for Prince William.

The visit comes during the 50th anniversary year of the UAE and will coincide with the UK National Day being held at Expo 2020 Dubai.

The UK National Day programme will showcase some extraordinary talents from across Britain. Prince William will join these celebrations, which will also feature the Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay, launched by Queen Elizabeth II from Buckingham Palace in October 2021, as it parades through the Expo site to visit Commonwealth National Pavilions, Kensington Palace said in a statement.

The bond between the UK and the UAE is deep and strong and Prince William’s visit will highlight and build upon theses links as he has the opportunity to engage with young Emiratis, leaders from government and committed conservationists, the statement added.

Prince William attaches a particular importance to the natural world, a passion that was shared by the UAE’s Founding Father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. During the visit, the prince will learn more about initiatives that provide protected areas for the unique flora and fauna of the region and take the opportunity to highlight two Royal Foundation programmes: United for Wildlife and The Earthshot Prize.

United for Wildlife, established by Prince William in 2014, has been working in the region to help facilitate efforts to counter the trade in illegal wildlife which poses an existential threat to the world’s most iconic species. Countries all over the world, including the UAE, are making a collective effort to tackle this $150 billion criminal enterprise and during his visit, Prince William will learn more about public-private partnerships in the UAE helping to achieve this.

The visit will also provide an opportunity to showcase The Earthshot Prize on the world stage at Expo 2020 Dubai. Highlighting some of the remarkable innovators from the inaugural 2021 Earthshot Prize will help accelerate and scale their incredible solutions to repair the planet.



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