Duke of Cambridge visits Jerusalem’s sacred sites
Image copyright AFPThe Duke of Cambridge has visited Jerusalem's most sacred religious sites and his great-grandmother's grave on the final day of his official tour.
The tomb of Princess Alice - the Duke of Edinburgh's mother - is at the Church of Mary Magdalene.
Also on his itinerary was the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, a site that is sacred to Jews and Muslims.
He then went to the adjacent Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews are permitted to pray.
Prince William's tour ended at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is widely regarded as Christianity's holiest place. Many Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected on the site.
It is shared by the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox, Egyptian Copt and Ethiopian Orthodox denominations of Christianity.
The duke began his morning on the Mount of Olives, taking in a view of Jerusalem's Old City.
He toured the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque at the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif.
During his visit to the Western Wall, Prince William - who was wearing a kippah, or religious head-covering, as a mark of respect - approached the landmark and placed a written prayer in a crack in the ancient wall, as is tradition.
British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, who accompanied the prince, said: "Today we experienced a moment of history which will live long in the memory of Jews around the world.
"The Western Wall stands at the epicentre of our faith. To see the future monarch come to pay his respects was a remarkable gesture of friendship and a sign of the duke's regard for the sanctity of Jerusalem."
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The Duke of Cambridge's five-day visit to Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan began on Sunday.
Since arriving on his current leg of the tour, he has met Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and its President Reuven Rivlin, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Princess Alice was married to Prince Andrew of Greece and is remembered for saving the life of a Jewish family in Athens during the Holocaust by sheltering them in her home from the Nazis.
Media playback is unsupported on your deviceOn Tuesday, the duke met relatives of the late Rachel Cohen, who was hidden from the Gestapo by his great-grandmother.
Princess Alice, who was a nun for many years, was first laid to rest at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, when she died in 1969.
But it was at her request that she was interred, in 1988, at the Russian Orthodox church on the Mount of Olives, near her aunt Elizabeth, the Grand Duchess of Russia.
On Wednesday, Prince William became the first royal family member to make an official visit to the Palestinian territories in the occupied West Bank.
While there he expressed hope for "lasting peace" between Israelis and Palestinians.
