Prince Charles starts Qatar tour with Museum of Islamic Art visit

By Joseph Varghese/Staff ReporterPrince Charles and his wife Camilla Rosemary, Duchess of Cornwall, started their three-day tour of Qatar with a visit to the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) yesterday. They were received by Minister of State HE Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Saud al-Thani at the museum.The royal couple will meet HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani today. They will also call on HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, the Chairperson of Qatar Foundation.The couple toured the galleries of the museum and met with the Chairperson of Qatar Museums Authority, HE Sheikha Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, at the MIA. After the museum visit, the couple attended a reception to celebrate Qatar-UK Year of Culture 2013. HE the Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kuwari, a large number Qatari businessmen, ambassadors of various countries and other distinguished invitees took part in the reception. Prince Charles is the UK Patron for the Qatar-UK Year of Culture 2013.Paddy Harverson, Communication Secretary to the royal couple, said the visit was aimed at highlighting the strong relationship between the UK and Qatar. He said, “Both the Qatari and British royal families have a very close relationship. It is also an opportunity to celebrate the cultural relations between the two counties as we are celebrating Qatar-UK Year of Culture 2013.” He added that there would not be “too much of a political angle” to the visit as the major discussions would be on areas of co-operation on education, enterprise, technology and empowering women.Prince Charles will launch the Qatar-UK Alumni Association at Four Seasons Hotel today. It is a new group of Qataris who have had their entire education, or a part of it, in the UK. It offers an excellent networking and professional development opportunity to its members.Later today, Prince Charles will also visit Qatar Science and Technology Park and interact with the organisations that have close ties with Britain. His Qatar visit comes to an end on Friday.