Prince Williams to visit Israel, Palestine

London [United Kingdom], March 01 (ANI): Prince Williams will become the first member of the royal family to make an official visit to Israel and Palestine.

The Duke of Cambridge will be going without his wife Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, who is due to give birth to her third child in April.

Kensington Palace, in a Twitter post, confirmed the visit saying, "the Duke of Cambridge will visit Israel, Jordan and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in the Summer."

The Duke of Cambridge will visit Israel, Jordan and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in the Summer. pic.twitter.com/VSdx7ts1Ff

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) March 1, 2018

Prince Williams' visit was "at the request of Her Majesty's government and has been welcomed by the Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian authorities," it added.

The office of the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, said it "welcomes this important visit, which we hope will contribute to strengthening ties of friendship between the two peoples," reported the Guardian.

According to the reports, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the British royal's trip would be "a historic visit" to his country.

No royal has ever visited Israel - whose occupation of the Palestinian territories the UK considers illegal - in an official capacity before.

However, William's father, Prince Charles has been to Israel for two funerals, for the former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and the late president Shimon Peres. The Duke of Gloucester, the Queen's cousin, visited the St John eye clinic in Gaza in 2007.

The Buckingham Palace has branded them as personal visits.

On that note, the date of Prince William's visit has not yet been announced. (ANI)