William begins three-day visit to Saudi Arabia

The Prince of Wales is beginning a three-day trip to Saudi Arabia – one of the UK’s key Middle East allies.

William’s first visit to the Gulf state, made at the request of the UK Government, is likely to be the biggest diplomatic test to date of his overseas trips.

When Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer first met the Saudi ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in 2024, he was accused of putting efforts to kickstart economic growth above human rights concerns.

The regime of the Crown Prince – known by his initials MBL – has been accused by human rights organisations of extensive use of the death penalty, targeting people exercising their rights to freedom of expression and presiding over a culture where migrant workers face abuses.

Crown Prince Mohammed’s reputation was badly damaged by a US intelligence determination that said he ordered the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The country has also faced accusations of “sports washing” – investing in sporting events such as the World Cup, which it will host in 2034, to distract from alleged wrongdoing and present a favourable image.

Sir Keir’s Government has strengthened relations with recent Saudi visits by the Chancellor and the Foreign Secretary.

William’s trip will be his first official overseas visit of 2026 and his first to the Middle East since his 2023 trip to Kuwait to pay his condolences after the death of Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, its former ruling emir.

The Prince of Wales will spend time meeting the next generation of young Saudis, hearing about the country’s plans for the future, including its commitment to sustainability, and travelling to the historic city of AlUla to learn about efforts to protect its natural wildlife and landscape.

The trip comes after the royal family saw Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor make further headlines in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

Andrew, who finally left Royal Lodge for the Sandringham estate last week, is facing a raft of fresh allegations.

Among them are claims that a second woman was sent to the UK by paedophile Epstein for a sexual encounter with Andrew, and that Andrew and Epstein asked an exotic dancer for a threesome in Epstein’s Florida home.

The former duke, who was stripped of his titles by the King last year, has always denied any wrongdoing.