Prince William set for Saudi Arabia visit as Kensington Palace issues statement
The Prince of Wales will make the solo trip next monthKensington Palace has announced that Prince William will visit Saudi Arabia next month for a royal visit.
The Prince of Wales, 43, will undertake his first overseas visit of 2026 with a trip to the country in the Middle East.
According to the palace, Prince William’s trip is “at the request of His Majesty’s Government”.
Why Prince William is visiting Saudi Arabia next month
In a statement, Kensington Palace said: “At the request of His Majesty’s Government, The Prince of Wales will visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between Monday 9th and Wednesday 11th February.
“His Royal Highness’ visit comes as the UK and Saudi Arabia celebrate growing trade, energy and investment ties, and as the two nations approach a century of diplomatic relations.
“This will be His Royal Highness’ first official visit to Saudi Arabia. Further details will be advised in due course.”
William’s trip to Scotland with wife Kate
The royal family’s busy 2026 is well and truly underway.
The news of William’s trip comes after the Prince and Princess of Wales visited Stirling in Scotland this week.
They visited Stirling’s National Curling Academy, where they met with athletes competing in the sport in the upcoming Winter Olympics and Paralympics. The couple even had a try at curling themselves!
Meanwhile, William and Catherine also visited Radical Weavers. It’s a weaving studio in Stirling which helps bring people together and offers support to those affected by trauma and loss.
The reaction towards the couple was warm and welcoming.
However, William and Kate did face one heckler in the crowd who quizzed them on the scandal surrounding his uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
William and Kate ‘heckled’ over Andrew
As the couple arrived at The Gothenburg pub in the village of Fallin, one man in the crowd shouted: “How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein?”
Prince William and Princess Catherine didn’t respond to the outburst, and continued greeting those outside the venue.
Andrew has faced intense scrutiny in recent months over his association with Jeffrey Epstein. Resurfaced emails last year appeared to show that Andrew remained in contact with the late convicted sex offender longer than he claimed he had in his 2019 BBC Newsnight interview.
Andrew has also faced sexual assault allegations. Virginia Giuffre alleged she was made to sleep with Andrew on three occasions when she was 17 after being trafficked by Epstein.
Andrew has always vehemently denied all the allegations against him.
In October last year, the palace announced Andrew would lose his royal titles and honours. He lost his prince and Duke of York titles amid the growing scrutiny.
Are you looking forward to seeing William in Saudi Arabia? You can share your thoughts with us on our Royal Insider Facebook page.
