But the three-day visit, requested by the British government aiming to strengthen ties with a key Middle Eastern ally and major regional player, was seen by some as a tricky diplomatic mission for the future king as he attempts to build his personal profile at a torrid time for his family as it faces near daily revelations about the former Prince Andrew\u2019s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.<\/a> <\/p>\n \u201cThis is part of his elevation to heir to the throne,\u201d said Craig Prescott, who teaches law at Royal Holloway, University of London, and specializes in the constitutional and political role of the monarchy. This made it clear, he added, that William was second only to his father, King Charles III<\/a>. <\/p>\n Ahead of this week\u2019s trip, William will undoubtedly have been briefed about Saudi Arabia<\/a>, which has been widely criticized for its human rights record, its suppression of women<\/a> and where protest and political dissent are punished<\/a>. <\/p>\n And he will also have been given guidance on his fellow prince, who unlike William is not part of a constitutional monarchy answerable to lawmakers and open to criticism from an often boisterous free press. <\/p>\n Known by his initials, MBS, Crown Prince Mohammed is Saudi Arabia\u2019s de facto leader and a controversial figure with a checkered and bloody history, and the son of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.<\/p>\n After the gruesome 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi<\/a> in his country\u2019s consulate in Istanbul, the crown prince became an international pariah. <\/p>\n U.S. intelligence agencies concluded the crown prince approved the killing<\/a> \u2014 a claim he has denied \u2014 although in 2019 he said that he took \u201cfull responsibility\u201d for it since it happened on his watch. A Saudi court sentenced five people to death for their involvement in the killing.<\/p>\n Bin Salman was also widely criticized for the war in Yemen where fighting between his Saudi-led coalition and Houthi rebels<\/a> led to one of the world\u2019s worst humanitarian crises. While a truce was declared in April 2022, a comprehensive peace deal is yet to be struck. <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s incumbent on members of the British royal family to have to deal with issues like human rights,\u201d Ed Owens, an author and royal historian, said in a telephone interview earlier this week. <\/p>\n Instead, he said, William\u2019s visit was \u201ca clever ploy on the part of the British government to dispatch someone who can bring meaning to the relationship, but doesn\u2019t have to engage with difficult issues around what happened to Jamal Khashoggi or other human rights abuses.\u201d<\/p>\n Kensington Palace said in a statement that William would meet young Saudis and hear \u201cabout the country\u2019s ambitious plans for the future, including its commitment to sustainability.\u201d<\/p>\n But Owens said that he thought the aim of the British government, which secured nearly $9 billion in mutual trade and investment deals last year<\/a> and \u201chas significant interest in the Middle East and in Saudi, is for the future king to forge a lasting relationship with another future king,\u201d<\/p>\n Together with wife, Catherine, the Princess of Wales<\/a>, William played a crucial role when President Donald Trump made a historic second state visit to the United Kingdom<\/a> in September; Owens said William\u2019s visit is the continuation of that soft power at play. <\/p>\n \u201cThere is an emphasis here on William wielding not just his national popularity, but a global renown and popularity in the singular interest of Britain,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n As well as the visit to At-Turaif, William was taken to a soccer training session for girls, a relatively new phenomenon in a country where women have only been given more freedom in recent years, including the right to drive in 2018, although huge limitations remain. He also visited a sustainable farm. <\/p>\n But throughout his visit, remained the specter of his uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who has been stripped of his titles <\/a>and royal mansion because of his relationship with Epstein. British police said Monday that they were assessing whether the former prince leaked sensitive trade documents<\/a> to the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender.<\/p>\n![\"Prince](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260213-Prince-William-ch-1214-7f5291.jpg\")
Prince William plants an acacia tree at Saudi Arabia’s Sharaan Nature Reserve. Chris Jackson \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Prince](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260213-Prince-William-ch-1213-c0c8f6.jpg\")
William visited a group of young female footballers in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh.Aaron Chown \/ Pool – Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770248743310_now_hallie_epstein_survivors_doj_260204_1920x1080-s1rm7f.jpg\")
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