ABU DHABI (Parliament Politics Magazine) – The future monarch of the United Kingdom, Prince William, arrived in the UAE on Thursday for his first official visit, where he would highlight his love for wildlife conservation and climate change.
The Prince’s visit marks a vital milestone in the United Kingdom-United Arab Emirates relationship. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the son of Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is set to meet with the prince.
The UAE was first visited by Queen Elizabeth II as monarch in 1979, and Prince Charles recently visited in 2016.
According to the British Business Group in Dubai and Northern Emirates, there are over 100,000 British citizens residing in the UAE and over 6,000 British enterprises operating there.
The visit coincides with the United Kingdom’s national day at Expo 2020 in Dubai, the world’s fair.Â
Prince William is due to visit the UK pavilion and explore the Expo site’s $7 billion grounds. He will speak with young Emiratis, officials, and conservationists about the significance of conservation efforts.
United for Wildlife, an initiative close to the prince’s heart, was founded in 2014 by the duke to aid efforts to combat the illegal wildlife trafficking.
Prince William, who is travelling without his family, will utilise his time in Dubai to promote The Earthshot Prize.
The Earthshot Prize, which was launched by Prince William and The Royal Foundation in late 2020 and offered five $1.36 million prizes to innovators, entrepreneurs, and scientists finding answers to the world’s largest environmental problems, hosted its first-ever award event late last year.
The duke, much like his father Prince Charles, has used his platform to fight for greater environmental awareness, warning that the earth is on the verge of irreversible devastation unless immediate action is taken to fix it.
They highlighted their efforts on globally impacting environmental initiatives in a meeting the duke had with Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
They were briefed on the Abu Dhabi Mangrove Initiative and the Environment Agency’s (EAD) continuous work to safeguard the environment and boost biodiversity.
The programme, which coincides with Prince William’s visit, aims to position the emirate as a global leader in mangrove conservation and resilience research and innovation.
Prince William is due to meet with UK sports personalities as the Queen’s Baton Relay makes its way around Dubai’s Expo site to pavilions of Commonwealth countries — largely regions with former colonial links to Britain.
Queen Elizabeth’s message is carried on the baton, which travels to all 72 countries and territories before the Commonwealth Games.
