Prince Charles and Camilla depart Jordan for Egypt as the third day of their Middle East tour begins

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Dressed in a flowing white headscarf, the Duchess of Cornwall went barefoot as she joined the Prince of Wales on a visit to Al Azhar Mosque in Cairo on the third day of their tour of the Middle East.

Prince Charles and Camilla arrived in Egypt today for the next leg of their four-day visit after departing from Jordan earlier this morning. 

They started their day by meeting the President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and the First Lady, Entissar Amer, at Al-Ittahadiya Palace in Cairo.

Looking elegant in a cool tunic and trousers, Camilla, 74, swapped her earlier blue and white dress for the Anna Valentine ensemble as she arrived with her equally sophisticated husband, Charles, 73.

The royal couple will spend the next day and a half in the capital, with the highlight of their visit a trip to see the pyramids, naturally. 

As they stepped off their official government plane, the Prince and the Duchess were greeted by Gareth Bayley OBE, Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Egypt, and his wife, Sara Fawcett. 

Then the President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and the First Lady, Entissar Amer, greeted their royal guests at the palace’s entrance and the foursome posed for pictures before they split, with the two women heading to a room for talks, while the prince and his host held their meeting, which lasted about 40 minutes, separately.

With Egypt due to take over the presidency of the next UN climate change conference – Cop27 – it is likely environmental issues were part of the discussions.

The Egyptian leader is a retired field marshal who led the military’s overthrow of Egypt’s first democratically elected head of state, Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, in 2013, following mass protests against his rule.

In a televised announcement the president, then an army general, told the nation Mr Morsi had been removed from office and had failed to fulfil ‘the hope for a national consensus’.

The move was followed by a crackdown on those who opposed the ousting of Mr Morsi, which human rights organisations said resulted in the deaths of hundreds during one day of protests.

The Egyptian leader – who former US president Donald Trump once reportedly called ‘my favourite dictator’ – has made maintaining stability and order in Egypt a priority.

Elsewhere, one day she will sit on a throne – but today the Duchess of Cornwall was delighted to sit on an eye-catching chair made from old painted tyres.

It was made by women living in the challenged Ezbet Khairallah area of Cairo which Camilla visited shortly after touching down in Egypt.

Ezbet Kheirallah is a low-income settlement established in the mid-1970s when immigrants from Upper Egypt and Delta cities came to Cairo looking for work.

The British Council started work with the Ezbet Kheirallah community in 2017, helping young people and, particularly, women and girls.

Met by Ruth Cocks, Deputy Director of the British Council in Egypt, and Abdelfattah Nada, Project Lead and Volunteer, the duchess joined a rooftop gathering and met a group of women from Button Up, a social enterprise working with women and children.

Button Up’s work focuses on women’s economic empowerment, parenting and physiological awareness as well as literacy, reducing school drop-out rates and citizenship.

She was shown a variety of eco-friendly items the women make, including bags. ‘Are you able to sell them?’ asked Camilla. ‘They really are excellent, it’s a very clever idea. When you start doing things for yourself you don’t know where it will take you.’

The women seemed genuinely touched at her interest as they told her their stories. ‘It’s such an excellent project, very well done. It’s such a pleasure to meet you,’ she added. 

The royal visitor was also shown another project, planting tomato plants to grow fruit and sell. ‘I see you want people to have more economic power by selling the crops,’ she sad. She told the women: ‘It is so very important to have girls on board with these initiatives. ‘

The 74-year-old duchess also had the chance to plant her own addition to their garden, asking for water and bending down without ceremony to make sure it was well-soaked. ‘I hope I haven’t killed it,’ she joked.

It was then time to take her seat on her chair, which was made out of tyres and had a cushion placed on it for her. ‘What a clever idea. How long does it take you to make one? An hour? You can make lots!’ It really is so ingenious. It’s an excellent idea,’ she said.

The duchess watched a short performance by a group of women storytellers about the challenges they have faced and how they have overcome them, clapping them enthusiastically at the end.

There were tales of forced married, domestic violence and coercive control, all issues the duchess has campaigned on both in the UK and around the world.

‘It is so important for all of you to tell your stories and encourage others to do the same,’ she said, before posing for a group photograph. One of the women was impassioned as she told her: ‘I am now an entrepreneur. I am powerful. I am proud of myself.’ 

Meanwhile, Charles and Camilla spent the past two days touring Jordan and the prince ended their time in the country by praising UK-Jordan relations in a speech marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the nation.

The prince said Britain’s former protectorate was a voice of ‘moderation, understanding and tolerance’ in the region under the leadership of King Abdullah II.  

Last night Charles and Camilla enjoyed their final public engagement in Jordan, where they spent the first two days of their trip.

The Prince evoked the spirit of Lawrence of Arabia in an address celebrating Jordan’s centenary at the Jordan Museum in Amman. 

He described how ‘British soldiers fighting side by side with their Arab partners, laid the foundation for the eventual establishment of the Jordanian state.’

He hailed Jordan’s ‘unflinching and generous hospitality’ saying ‘it offers not just safe haven for refugees but – through education – hope and opportunity for the future’.

Charles and Camilla, wearing an elegant white tunic and trousers by Anna Valentine, were greeted at the Jordan Museum by the Hejaz railway carriage which was targeted by Lawrence when he led a rebellion against the Ottoman Empire.

They were treated to a short musical performance from the Mahali Musical Production and viewed the Rejuvenation and Modernisation of Extinct Arts and Crafts (RMEAC) pop-up art exhibition. The couple also viewed The Dead Sea scrolls which are on display at the museum.

In his keynote speech, Charles said: ‘Your Royal Highnesses, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen – I did just want to begin by thanking you most warmly for having invited my wife and myself to join you for this very special celebration.

‘I first visited this most friendly and special of countries some thirty-six years ago and have been drawn back time and time again by the remarkable generosity, hospitality and courteousness for which Jordan is rightly famed. As the Jordanian poet Haidar Mahmoud has written.’

The Prince then spoke in Arabic saying: ‘It suffices my country that it was founded on the basis of love.’

He received a generous round of applause for his efforts from the more than 50 guests including embassy staff and Jordanian royal family. 

The prince joked: ‘Having massacred wonders of Arabic language.. To be here with you this year is especially significant.

‘After the sorrow, separation, and grief, which Covid 19 as brought us all, it is with that special joy of being once again among friends that we have begun our first overseas tour in nearly two years. That we should do so here in Jordan, to join you in celebrating the centenary year of Jordan’s founding, means more to us than I can possibly say.’

The Prince and Duchess have been sent to the region by the UK government to strengthen bi-lateral relations and highlight issues around climate change and political, cultural economic links.

In Egypt, highlights of the two-day visit include a UK-Egypt reception overlooking the pyramids at the Giza Plateau to celebrate the bond between the two countries, and a tour of the ancient city of Alexandria.

Charles and Camilla will also visit Cairo’s Grand Imam of al-Azhar to discuss with the religious leader and a group of young scholars religious tolerance and the role of faith in stewarding the environment.

Chris Fitzgerald, deputy private secretary to the prince, said when the tour was first announced climate change would be one of the main themes of the visit, and other issues would include inter-faith dialogue, female empowerment and efforts to preserve cultural heritage. 

Mr Fitzgerald said: ‘Their royal highnesses’ visit to Egypt comes as the UK holds the Cop presidency and Egypt has been nominated to assume the Cop27 presidency in 2022.

‘In this decisive decade for climate action, the next 12 months is therefore expected to see a significant co-operation between the UK and Egypt. Indeed, both visits will have a major focus on addressing the climate crisis.’