William recreates Kate photo in Jordan

The Duke of Cambridge made a pilgrimage to the spot in a Roman ruined city in Jordan where his wife posed for a picture when just a little girl.

William spoke about how Kate "loved" living in Jordan as a youngster, when he arrived in the country on Tuesday - the first day of an historic visit to the Middle East.

And he was able to see for himself the beautifully preserved first century Roman city of Jerash where the duchess, father Michael and sister Pippa visited in the 1980s and posed as a trio for a picture.

The duke strolled along the site's famous cardo maximus - the city's main thoroughfare lined with columns and still paved with the original stones complete in places with the groves worn by chariots.

William was joined by Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein and when he reached the spot where the picture was taken he stopped and looked at a 2ft by 3ft enlargement of the image, released just before the Cambridges married in 2011.

Kate, aged four, with her father Michael Middleton and sister Pippa in Jerash, Jordan
Kate, aged four, with her father Michael Middleton and sister Pippa in Jerash, Jordan

The second-in-line to the throne laughed as he looked at the picture and then pointing at the image of Mr Middleton said to the Crown Prince: "Michael's looking very smart in his flip-flops."

In scorching sunshine and dressed in a smart casual look of jacket, shirt, trousers and sunglasses William recreated the photo by standing in the same spot as his wife when a child.

He smiled and said: "Need to come back with the family for this shot."

The Duke of Cambridge visits Jerash, the same site that The Duchess of Cambridge visited, aged 4, with her sister and father when the family lived in Jordan. pic.twitter.com/PMoFrr4Snt

-- Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) June 25, 2018

Kate's family moved to Jordan in May 1984 when she was aged two and her sister Pippa was just eight months old, after father Michael, a British Airways manager, relocated to the Jordanian capital of Amman for work.

The duchess went to an English language nursery while her parents were in the country for almost three years, before they returned to Berkshire in 1986.

Samia Khouri, director of museums at Jordan's Department of Antiquities, guided the two princes around the sprawling site during a half-hour tour.

She said: "He was very surprised when he saw the photo, he did not expect that.

"But that's why he was here, because he wanted to take a photo at the same spot where Kate was photographed."

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