Prince William visits the Kotel, June 28, 2018. (Flash90)
Britain’s Prince William placed a note between the stones of the Western Wall and spent several moments there in prayer as part of a visit to the Old City of Jerusalem.
The prince wore a blue kippah to the site on June 28, the last day of his three-day visit to Israel.
“May the G-d of peace bless this region and all the world with peace,” he wrote in the Western Wall guestbook at the end of his visit, which was livestreamed on the Western Wall’s official Facebook page. He was accompanied by British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis.
The prince also visited the Temple Mount and was permitted to enter the Dome of the Rock shrine, which is usually not permitted for non-Muslims. He also visited the Al-Aksa mosque there.
William also received an overview of the area at a site overlooking the Mount of Olives and visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Citing a “highly-placed Palace source,” a British tabloid reported that Prince William plans to make bringing a “just and lasting peace” to the Middle East his “lifelong project.”
“The visit had a profound effect on the Duke,” the Mirror reported. Prince William also holds the title Duke of Cambridge.
The newspaper reported on July 1 that before his visit, the prince received extensive briefings on “the labyrinthine politics that have doomed previous attempts at peace to failure.”
At the end of the trip he reportedly told his aides: “This is the start of something new. I will forever honor my commitments to the people I have met.”
During his three-day visit to Israel and the PA, William met with politicians, officials, high-profile Israelis from all walks of life, youth, children and refugees. He also spent two days in Jordan.
At the British consul general’s residence in Jerusalem, William told the Palestinian guests, in a speech he reportedly rewrote after visiting a refugee camp near Ramallah: “My message tonight is that you have not been forgotten . . . I hope that through my being here and understanding the challenges you face, the links of friendship and mutual respect between the Palestinian and British people will grow stronger.”
The article said that he has thought about the legacy of his mother, Princess Diana, who led the fight for causes including men suffering from AIDS in Britain, victims of landmines in Angola and Indians with leprosy.
