Overseas Duties
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall are among the United Kingdom's most important ambassadors.
Every year, Their Royal Highnesses travel abroad at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to further British diplomatic interests, raise the UK’s profile in the country visited and promote British excellence.
In March 2009, The Prince and The Duchess visited Chile, Brazil and Ecuador, including the Galapagos Islands. Protecting the environment featured prominently during Their Royal Highnesses’ visit to Brazil, especially the problem of tropical deforestation.
In April, The Prince and The Duchess visited Italy, the Holy See, Germany. The visit to these key European partners focused mainly on climate change and included a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI.
In June 2009, The Prince of Wales visited Normandy to mark the 65th anniversary of D-Day and conduct a number of engagements with veterans.
Overseas visits enable The Prince to familiarise himself with a wide range of international issues and to meet many Heads of State and senior officials.
His Royal Highness often represents The Queen at overseas events, such as the funeral of Pope John Paul II in Rome, Italy, in April 2005.
The Prince tries to find ways for his charities to work for the benefit of the international community and often visits projects set up by his own charities during overseas visits.
For example, Youth Business International (YBI), a programme of The Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF) has helped more than 14,000 disadvantaged young people around the world to become entrepreneurs.
His Royal Highness launched The Prince of Wales’s Bhumi Vardaan Foundation in the course of his visit to India in March 2006, an organisation which promotes responsible farming to ensure a sustainable future on the land for smaller farmers and their descendants.
Commonwealth countries account for a large part of The Prince of Wales's overseas travel schedule. In 2006, Their Royal Highnesses visited India and Pakistan, and in March 2005, The Prince of Wales visited Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. In a visit to Uganda in November 2007, The Prince attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
On the way to Australia, The Prince visited Sri Lanka to see the rebuilding work taking place after the tsunami disaster on Boxing Day 2004.
In February 2007, Their Royal Highnesses toured five Gulf States (Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates) in 10 days. The visit was aimed at strengthening ties with key British allies in the area.
On the way back to the United Kingdom, Their Royal Highnesses visited the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, to present traditional leeks for St David's Day and to pay tribute to British troops working to maintain peace and stability in the region.