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The couple visited Jordan on February 25 and 26 at the invitation of Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, <\/span>director-general of the World Health Organization<\/a>. It was an effort by the WHO to draw attention onto its myriad humanitarian programs in a small country coping with more than a million refugees.<\/span><\/p>\n The visit was not announced in advance and<\/span> the focus was restricted to humanitarian issues of concern to the WHO and its partner organizations<\/a> in Jordan. They didn\u2019t also visit with senior government leaders or senior members of the Jordanian royal family, who are very close to the British royal family.<\/span><\/p>\n Why this particular trip? The Sussexes have partnered before with the WHO through their Archewell charity. In the autumn, <\/span>they announced a donation of US$500,000<\/a> to the WHO to help injured children in Jordan and Ukraine.<\/span><\/p>\n It was the first \u201cquasi royal\u201d visit by the couple since their controversial and widely covered trips to Nigeria and Colombia in 2024. This two-day visit was noticeably low-key, shorter in duration, and not publicly announced well in advance. <\/p>\n Some criticized the trip but I believe that anything that can draw attention to such humanitarian efforts is a good thing, as every little bit of attention and interest helps some good causes. <\/p>\n <\/a> The Prince and Princess of Wales spent a day in Wales celebrating local volunteers ahead of St. David\u2019s Day, the nation\u2019s national day. <\/p>\n The weather did not cooperate \u2014 it poured rain and just refused to stop. <\/p>\n No one seemed to mind. The crowds were so massive that the <\/span>couple did <\/a>seven<\/a><\/em> walkabouts<\/a>. At one point, they stopped their vehicles to get out and greet locals when they noticed people lining their route. <\/span><\/p>\n The Prince and Princess of Wales on Instagram: “Celebrating vol\u2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Everyone seemed to be having a good time, especially the kids. Kate took part in a game of <\/span>\u201crock, paper, scissors\u201d<\/a> (the second video in the linked Instagram post) during one walkabout and, at another event, immediately donned a <\/span>necklace made by a little girl<\/a>, who also bestowed to William a huge paper daffodil, the national flower of Wales. <\/span><\/p>\n At one point, the prince got into a discussion about favoured soccer teams. He\u2019s a huge Aston Villa fan and could be seek joking with children as they call out Birmingham and Manchester United.<\/p>\n Bonus: There was none of the heckling or shouted comments about the Andrew scandal that had occurred in some recent royal engagements. <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!bpcX!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdb6eafac-157e-4e54-b126-cab18263aaa2_729x487.jpeg\")
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