The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have arrived in the Middle East for their first international trip in 18 months.
Prince Harry and Meghan will spend two days visiting Jordan to highlight efforts to support vulnerable communities affected by conflict and displacement.
The couple stepped down as working royals in 2020 and traveled to Amman at the invitation of Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Their visit comes amid a crisis for the royal family, with Harry’s uncle Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Harry and Meghan arrived on Wednesday morning and were warmly greeted by Ghebreyesus on the steps of the WHO country office in Amman.
Once inside the White House, the couple participated in a roundtable discussion hosted by the World Health Organization, which included figures from major institutions including the United Nations and its many agencies, diplomatic representatives and donors.
Over the next two days, Harry and Meghan are expected to meet with Jordanian leaders and top health officials.
They are expected to work with WHO teams, visit frontline health and mental health projects, and meet with World Central Kitchen staff who are coordinating food relief from Amman to Gaza.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend a World Health Organization roundtable with major donors and humanitarian partners [PA Media]
The Sussexes will also visit social development organization Questscope’s youth center to hear from young people involved in creative and wellbeing projects.
They are expected to see a move they funded to transport children from the war in Gaza to Middle Eastern countries.
British Ambassador to Jordan Philip Hall thanked the Sussexes for their visit to the Middle East.
“We are very grateful for your visit, your support and your appreciation for the efforts of the United Nations, including of course the World Health Organization, the Jordanian government and other organizations, here,” Hall said.
The couple first worked with the World Health Organization on a global campaign to encourage vaccine equity and co-hosted a high-level event at the United Nations General Assembly in 2021, with their charity also partnering with the organization on its global initiative to help end violence against children.
Since moving to California in 2020 to start a new life, the Sussexes have gone on a number of foreign tours, similar to their official tours when they were still working royals.
The couple’s last trip was a four-day trip to Colombia in August 2024, where they visited a school in the capital, Bogota, to talk to teenagers about the impact of social media.
Harry and Meghan also spoke at the Digital Responsibility Summit hosted by their Archewell Foundation.
Earlier that year, the couple visited Nigeria to mark the tenth anniversary of the Invincible Games.
