The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have kicked off their unexpected two-day humanitarian trip to Aman, Jordan on Wednesday.
The pair were all smiles as they stepped out at a World Health Organisation roundtable with individuals from leading bodies like the United Nations and many of its agencies, diplomatic representatives, and donors.
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The couple, who stepped down as working royals in 2020, travelled to Jordan at the invitation of the WHO’s director-general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
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For her overseas visit, Meghan wore a stylish white ensemble comprised of white trousers, a structured jacket and a classic T-shirt in the same hue. Meanwhile, her husband wore beige trousers, a white shirt and a black jacket.
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Joining Harry and Meghan on the table were senior figures from UN agencies including UNWRA, UNHCR, World Food Programme, Unicef and diplomatic attendees from countries like the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Canada, and the EU.
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Philip Hall, British Ambassador to Jordan, thanked the Sussexes for travelling to the Middle East: “So I would simply say thank you very much indeed for coming.
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“Your visit, your support, your appreciation of the efforts that the United Nations, including of course, the World Health Organisation, the government of Jordan and others, are making here is enormously appreciated. So thank you for coming.”
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Jordan has received wave after wave of refugees, beginning with Palestinians more than 80 years ago, who now number around 2.5 million people, and Syrians who fled conflict in their country until recently ruled by President Bashar al-Assad.
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The latest wave of displaced people has flowed from the Israeli government’s Gaza war against Hamas, launched after Hamas atrocities committed during the October 7 attacks.
The ambassador also told the assembled group about one of the developments needed to resolve the issues faced by Palestinians: “And of course, the last point is just to say a lasting solution of this requires a regional peace.
‘Your visit, your support, your appreciation of the efforts that the United Nations, including of course, the World Health Organisation, the government of Jordan and others, are making here is enormously appreciated’
“It requires, in particular, peace between Palestine and Israel and the two-state solution – that’s easily said, we all know it’s very hard to achieve, but we’re all working on that too.”
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During their visit, Harry and Meghan spoke with medical staff as they meet Maria, a 14-year-old burn victim from Gaza, during a visit to the Speciality Hospital in Amman.
Meghan crouched down to speak to the teenager, and Harry appeared emotional when Maria gave them permission to view the dressings and her foot. She lost the toes on her right foot following an explosion.
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The couple also spent time with medical evacuees
On the agenda
During their two-day visit, the Sussexes are expected to meet Jordanian leaders and senior health officials, engage with WHO teams, visit frontline health and mental health programmes and meet World Central Kitchen staff coordinating food relief for Gaza from Amman.
They will also visit the social development organisation Questscope’s youth centre to hear from young people participating in creative and wellbeing programmes.