His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh makes his first visit to Kuwait
His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh visited Kuwait City as the UK and Kuwait begin to draw to a close their joint celebrations to mark 125 years of official diplomatic relations.
The Duke enjoyed individual audiences with: H.H the Amir, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah; H.H the Crown Prince, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah; and H.H the Prime Minister, Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, reflecting on the special ties between the UK’s Royal and Kuwait’s Ruling Families, and opportunities to progress bilateral cooperation. These audiences were followed by a lunch hosted by H.H the Crown Prince and Cabinet Ministers, with whom The Duke discussed Kuwait’s national vision and the role that partners such as the UK could play in realising this.
Upon leaving Bayan Palace, The Duke visited the Dickson House Cultural Centre – home to a number of British Political Agents throughout the early decades of UK-Kuwait diplomatic relations. During a private tour, he learnt about the building’s role in both countries’ shared history, and the National Council for Culture Arts and Letters’ ongoing renovation project.
Arriving at the British Embassy in the late afternoon, The Duke then joined a reception hosted in his honour, meeting a range of guests including those involved in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award for young people, and many different groups who work hard to enhance bilateral relations and support the British community in Kuwait.
The Duke’s visit closed with an evening reminiscent of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s trip to the iconic Kuwait Towers during her 1979 State Visit. At a dinner hosted by H.E Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Minister of Al-Diwan Al-Amiri Affairs, The Duke met representatives of the Kuwait Olympic Committee, the Youth Public Authority and the Public Authority for Sport; alongside a number of youth leaders, including several recipients of the Kuwait Award for Youth Excellence and Creativity. A passionate advocate of enabling young people to fulfil their potential, The Duke discussed opportunities to forge even stronger links between young people in Kuwait and the UK.
Speaking at the reception hosted in his honour, The Duke stated: “I am delighted to visit Kuwait for the first time as our two countries continue celebrations to mark 125 years of official diplomatic relations and prepare to mark 250 years of trading ties in 2025. Our cooperation covers a range of areas including defence, with the UK coming to Kuwait’s aid during the First Gulf War and continuing close collaboration in this space to this day – and education, which is an area of particular interest to me as patron of the Duke of Edinburgh Award my Late Father, Prince Philip, started.
That being said, our relationship is – at its very heart – about the links between our two peoples, our shared values, and our mutual respect for one another’s cultures. This is what has bound us together in the past and what makes me confident that our two countries will enjoy many more years of close, friendly partnership.”
British Ambassador to the State of Kuwait, H.E Belinda Lewis, added: “The Duke’s visit was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the warm and historic ties between the UK and Kuwait, underpinned by the longstanding friendship between our respective Royal and Ruling Families. It was an honour to meet the leadership of Kuwait, and also to hear from some inspiring young people about their contribution to society. Our visit to Dickson House brought our diplomatic history to life while the garden reception was a chance to acknowledge many different groups who work hard to enhance our bilateral relations and support the British community in Kuwait.”
