Prince William will be the first senior British royal to make an official visit to the Palestinian Territories and Israel, it was  announced yesterday, as part of a tour which will also take him to Jordan.

The visit this summer by the second in line to the throne "is at the request of Her Majesty's government and has been welcomed by the Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian authorities", the palace said in a statement.

There have been no previous official visits by members of the British royal family to the Palestinian Territories.

William will be the first close relation of the Queen to make a official visit to Israel, following official trips made previously by the monarch's cousins the Duke of Kent and the Duke of Gloucester.