Charles and Camilla to Visit Fez

HRH The Prince of Wales and his wife Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall, will include Fez in their Spring Tour itinerary. Helen Ranger reports.

The British royals will be visiting Portugal, Spain and Morocco from 28 March to 6 April, and will be guests of HRH Mohammed VI in Rabat. The BBC reports that the main themes of the tour will be trade and investment promotion, as well as climate change and the construction of low carbon economies.

With protests still ongoing in much of the Arab world, Clarence House has said security arrangements for the royal couple would be monitored "closely".

The Guardian reports that the long-planned three day visit is going ahead on Foreign Office advice in a bid to improve trade and cultural links. Britain exports £300m of goods to the country each year. It will also be welcomed by the Moroccan authorities as an endorsement of the recent constitutional changes announced by HM King Mohammed VI.

Prince Charles and Camilla will also be visiting an environmental project at the Errachidia oasis. And in Fez, the Prince will discuss inter-faith dialogue. The View from Fez wonders if the visit will be a prelude to Prince Charles attending the Fez Festival of World Sacred Music in which Prince Charles has long had an interest.