The Prince of Wales’ decision to undertake royal engagements recognizing the human suffering caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East comes with “huge risk” as he addresses the effects of the “most controversial issue in world politics,” a British morning show has heard.
On Tuesday, Kensington Palace announced that William would undertake engagements linked with the humanitarian efforts supporting civilians in the ongoing war in the Middle East and conflict in Gaza, also addressing the subsequent rise of antisemitism around the world.
“The Prince and Princess were profoundly concerned by events that unfolded in late 2023 and continue to hold all the victims, their family and friends in their hearts and minds,” a statement on behalf of William and wife, Kate, read.
“Their Royal Highnesses continue to share in the hope of a better future for all those affected.”
Though the engagements will not be announced beforehand, William will meet with organizers of humanitarian aid being sent to the region from Britain and learn about challenges being faced on the ground. He is also set to join a youth conversation at a synagogue, meeting a diverse group of advocates against hatred and antisemitism.
The Prince of Wales photographed in London, March 13, 2023. William will undertake engagements in Britain recognizing the human suffering caused by war in the Middle East and antisemitism.
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
William has met with organizers of humanitarian aid being sent into war zones before. In 2022 and 2023, he met with those connected with the war in Ukraine, however, Newsweek’s chief royal correspondent, Jack Royston, noted on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday that this latest development comes with a heightened level of reputational risk.
For the prince, he is addressing the impact of “the most controversial issue in global politics,” Royston said. “Any time anyone opens their mouth to talk about this there’s a huge risk they get attacked potentially by both sides.”
Opening himself up to criticism in such a way, is not how the royals typically operate, Royston suggested. “This is a huge risk that he’s taking which, in all fairness, is a massive departure from the way that the royal family usually approach these kinds of issues,” he said.
This is not the first time that William has addressed the ongoing war and political conflicts in the Middle East, particularly the conflict between Israel and Hamas. In October 2023, a lengthy statement was issued on his behalf, and that of the Princess of Wales, noting their distress at reports of violence and loss of life.
“The Prince and Princess of Wales are profoundly distressed by the devastating events that have unfolded in the past days,” the couple’s spokesperson said. “The horrors inflicted by Hamas’s terrorist attack upon Israel are appalling; they utterly condemn them. As Israel exercises its right of self defense, all Israelis and Palestinians will continue to be stalked by grief, fear and anger in the time to come.
“Their Royal Highnesses hold all the victims, their families and their friends in their hearts and minds. Those The Prince of Wales met in 2018 overwhelmingly shared a common hope—that of a better future. In the midst of such terrible suffering, The Prince and Princess continue to share that hope without reservation.”
In June 2018, William became the first member of the royal family to make an official visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories on behalf of the U.K. government. He spent four days undertaking meetings with government officials and included a visit to the Yad Vashem holocaust memorial.
The prince also visited holy sites including the Mount of Olives, where he paid his respects at the tomb of his great-grandmother Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark (mother to Prince Philip), who is buried at the Church of Mary Magdalene.
William will undertake his new set of engagements solo, as his wife continues her recovery from “planned abdominal surgery” which she underwent last month.
Newsweek approached Kensington Palace via email for comment.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek’s royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek’s The Royals Facebook page.
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Source : Newsweek