Harry and Meghan begin two-day Jordan visit to highlight humanitarian efforts

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will begin a two-day visit to Jordan to highlight efforts to support vulnerable communities affected by conflict and displacement.

Harry and Meghan will also visit initiatives they have helped fund to medically evacuate children from the war in Gaza to the Middle East nation.

The couple, who stepped down as working royals in 2020 for personal and financial freedom, are travelling to Jordan at the invitation of Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Harry has not spoken publicly about the turmoil that has engulfed his relatives following the former Duke of York’s arrest.

In his memoir Spare he wrote how despite his uncle Andrew facing allegations of sexual assault in connection with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, there was no suggestion he lose his taxpayer-funded security.

Andrew reached an out-of-court settlement with prominent Epstein-accuser Virginia Giuffre in 2022, which stopped the civil legal proceedings in the US, and was made without any admission of liability on the part of Andrew.

In May last year, Harry lost a Court of Appeal challenge over his security arrangements while in the UK.

But in a major U-turn, the Home Office is said to have now ordered a full threat assessment for the first time since 2020, amid reports Harry’s taxpayer-funded armed protection will be reinstated for visits to the UK.

Since moving to California in 2020 for a new life the Sussexes have carried out a number of foreign visits that have taken the form of official trips they made when still part of ‘The Firm’ as the royal family is colloquially known.

During their two-day visit the Sussexes will meet Jordanian leaders and senior health officials, engage with WHO teams, visit frontline health and mental health programmes and meet World Central Kitchen staff co-ordinating food relief for Gaza from Amman.

They will also visit the social development organisation Questscope’s youth centre to hear from young people participating in creative and wellbeing programmes.

The couple first partnered with the WHO on a global campaign to encourage vaccine equity and co-hosted a high-level event at the UN General Assembly in 2021, and their charitable body has also worked with the organisation on its global initiative to help end violence against children.