British Ambassador to Israel David Quarrey spoke Thursday with journalists ahead of Prince William's visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority next week.
"It's the first official visit by a senior member of the royal family. I think it's going to be a great success. I hope that it will be a celebration of the modern relationship, the modern partnership between the UK and Israel," Ambassador Quarrey said.
The ambassador said that there was no "political message" in the prince's visit. "The Duke is not a political figure."
"He'll be here to see a bit of the country, to get to meet some of the people here, and also to get a flavor of Israel, to see what's happening here, some of the extraordinary success in tech, some of the great culture here," he said.
Ambassador Quarrey said that the royal family's description of the Old City of Jerusalem as "Occupied Palestinian Territories" in the program for the Prince's visit as "consistent with years of practice by the British government."