Opening comments by Scott Furssedonn-Wood, Deputy Private Secretary for The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall regarding Their Royal Highnesses’ upcoming tour to Bosnia Herzegovina, The Republic of Cyprus and The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Between 17th and 25th of March, at the request, and on behalf, of Her Majesty’s Government The Prince of Wales will visit Bosnia Herzegovina; and The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall together will visit the Republic of Cyprus and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

The Prince of Wales’s return to Bosnia, demonstrates both the British Government’s commitment to the country and His Royal Highness’s own long-standing commitment to the Western Balkans region. During previous visits to the region, as well as through meetings The Prince has convened in London, His Royal Highness has sought to play his part in supporting post-conflict reconciliation in the Western Balkans.

This visit will continue that engagement by showing the work that has been done to address the legacy of conflict, as well as by celebrating cross-community initiatives and those who are working to build a better and more secure future for Bosnia Herzegovina and the wider region. 

His Royal Highness will undertake engagements in both Sarajevo and Srebrenica.  A key element will be a visit to the memorial at Srebrenica to mark the 25th anniversary of the genocide this year.  His Royal Highness will pay his respects to the victims, accompanied by a number of survivors, including mothers who are still looking for their missing loved ones. Over the years, The Prince has taken a particularly close interest in the Families of the Missing, and those who support them, and His Royal Highness invited representatives of the families, from across the region,  to meet him at Clarence House in 2017 and again in 2018 during the Western Balkans Summit. On this visit, The Prince will have the opportunity to hear about the progress that has been made in finding the remains of those who are still missing and returning them to their families.

In Sarajevo, The Prince will be received by the tripartite Presidency, the three-member body who collectively serve as Head of State of Bosnia and Herzegovina. His Royal Highness will also meet the leaders of the main religious communities, in recognition of their work on reconciliation and building understanding across the communities. During the visit, The Prince will highlight efforts to support survivors of wartime sexual violence, and to help them overcome the stigma that they and their families so often face. 

Also in Sarajevo, His Royal Highness will tour the old town and visit local artisans and historic sites. He will also meet those helping to build a better future for their country including social entrepreneurs, activists, and other champions of sustainable growth; as well as young students from across the country who have benefitted from the British Council’s 21st Century Schools programme.

Their Royal Highnesses’ visit to The Republic of Cyprus will be the first Royal visit since Her Majesty The Queen visited in 1993. The programme will celebrate the historic ties between the UK and Cyprus, our shared membership of the Commonwealth, and our dynamic forward-looking relationship in a range of areas including education and science – building on The Prince’s long association with the British Cypriot community in the UK, including through the Reception His Royal Highness hosted at Buckingham Palace in March  of last year. 

Their Royal Highnesses’ visit will focus on the capital, Nicosia, and will also include rural visits to the nearby Troodos mountains, and to Larnaca district, where Their Royal Highnesses will celebrate traditional Cypriot culture, food, and crafts and Cyprus’ unique heritage.

The programme will also include a visit to the United Nations Buffer Zone to acknowledge the peacekeeping work being undertaken by the UN, and to recognise the UK’s role as the largest troop contributor to the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus. The Prince will meet representatives of both the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities and highlight initiatives to build connections and understanding between the two communities.

Elsewhere in the programme, The Prince of Wales will meet participants in a meeting of Commonwealth Blue Charter Champions from across the Commonwealth, an important milestone on the road to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Rwanda in June. His Royal Highness will also meet religious leaders from Cyprus’ diverse religious communities.

The Duchess of Cornwall, as Patron of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, will visit a partner organisation which has recently participated in the charity’s Battersea Academy to see how the organisation is implementing its learning in Cyprus. And Her Royal Highness will also continue her work to highlight the issue of domestic violence and rape around the world and engage with organisations working to support survivors.

Their Royal Highnesses’ return to Jordan underlines the key importance of the relationship between our two countries, which is underpinned by the enduring friendship between our two Royal Families.

The visit will centre on the historic capital city of Amman, and also take in a number of other sites of cultural, religious and environmental significance across the country. The programme will see Their Royal Highnesses tour a unique hillside town as well as visit an ecologically rich National Park. 

In the City of Salt – Jordan’s first historical capital – Their Royal Highnesses will meet the Jordanian winner of the Global Prince’s Trust International Award 2019, who has worked to develop sustainable tourism and opportunities for his community, as well as others who have benefitted from The Prince’s Trust in Jordan.

The Prince and The Duchess’s visit will also highlight the way in which Jordan continues to host over a million refugees fleeing from conflict, and how many of them have been integrated into the communities which host them. Their Royal Highnesses will visit organisations working in this field, including the International Rescue Committee, of which The Prince has recently become Patron, and which supports refugees in transitioning from camps to local communities and assists them in finding employment.

Their Royal Highnesses will be accompanied at various points of the tour by members of the Jordanian Royal Family and will see Jordan’s renewed focus on increasing job opportunities for young people, particularly in the engineering and tourism sectors. His Royal Highness will visit a youth training and apprenticeship scheme, which is supported by Jaguar Land Rover and Crown Prince Hussein’s Technical University.

Their Royal Highnesses will visit organisations helping to preserve traditional crafts whilst bringing increased prosperity to artisan communities, including the Turquoise Mountain Foundation which was founded by The Prince of Wales.

Their Royal Highnesses will also visit sites of religious importance and The Prince will participate in an interfaith discussion to emphasise the diverse, tolerant and integrated nature of Jordanian society, highlighting the importance placed on religious freedom in the country.

 The Duchess will see the work undertaken by Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan to protect vulnerable children and mothers, as well as to educate parents about child protection and safeguarding.  Her Royal Highness will also visit a UNICEF-supported school and will participate in a Women of the World event that promotes the empowerment of women from all walks of life.