Prince William’s Saudi visit focuses on youth engagement and conservation, while royal family faces renewed scrutiny over Prince Andrew’s Epstein links.
RIYADH: Britain’s Prince William is scheduled to meet girl footballers and participate in an e-sports tournament in the Saudi capital today.
His agenda in Riyadh also includes a visit to an urban regeneration project.
According to Kensington Palace, the avid environmentalist will later travel to the historic city of AlUla to learn about conservation efforts.
The visit underscores the long-standing amicable ties between the Saudi and British royal families.
Saudi Arabia is considered one of Britain’s most important partners in the Gulf region.
The late Queen Elizabeth II hosted Saudi royals during four state visits, placing the kingdom on par with key allies like France and Germany.
The last senior royal to make an official visit to Riyadh was William’s father, King Charles III, when he was Prince of Wales in February 2014.
William’s arrival comes as the monarchy faces renewed pressure over accusations related to his disgraced uncle, Prince Andrew’s links to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Ahead of the trip, Kensington Palace broke years of silence on the issue.
In a short statement that did not directly reference Andrew, the palace said William and his wife Catherine were “deeply concerned by the continuing revelations”.
The statement was released amid damaging new allegations from the Epstein files published by the US Department of Justice.
The latest documents suggest Andrew may have passed potentially confidential reports to Epstein while serving as a UK trade envoy between 2001 and 2011.