Britain's Prince Charles pays royal visit to Jordan

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) - Britain's Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, kicked off a three-day visit to Jordan on Tuesday aimed at cementing a century of relations between the allied countries. It is part of the first royal tour since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Charles and Camilla were greeted on the tarmac by a Jordanian color guard. They met with Jordan's King Abdullah II and Queen Rania at the royal palace in the capital, Amman, before traveling in an electric vehicle to the Christian holy site of Maghtas.

According to Christian tradition, Maghtas marks the spot where John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the Jordan River.

The royal couple are to visit a series of religious and historical sites before heading to Egypt on Thursday.

The British Embassy said last month that the visit was aimed at shoring up a century of 'œstrong bilateral relations.'ť It is putting an emphasis on combating climate change in the wake of the Glasgow conference, as well as interfaith tolerance.

Jordan was established as an emirate and British protectorate in 1921 before gaining full independence in 1946. The countries have close diplomatic and security relations.